Shayla's Story 3: Into The Virtual World
by Gema J. Gall
Summary: Continuing Shayla's Story into the virtual world. Has everything y'all love duels, Millennial Items, action, drama, suspense, POF...
1. Rude Awakening

Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction  
  
Shayla's Story 3: Into The Virtual World  
  
By: Gema J. Gall  
  
Disclaimer: Do I have to? Oh well..Yu-Gi-Oh! ain't mine, although you'd think after 250+ pages of fan work that would change. I do own Shayla, for those of you who have been hiding in a cave this entire time and didn't know that. I don't own Drake and Lara, they belong to Ryu.dang, can't remember the rest of his new name, well, erm, the former E-100 Alpha. Any "special guests" will be announced as they come.  
  
Shayla was awoken the next morning by a lurch that threw her out of bed. Surprised, she stood up, only to be knocked off her feet again as the entire airship quaked.  
  
"What the heck is going on?!" she exclaimed as she staggered out of her room and into the hall. She didn't make it much farther than that before she was thrown off of her feet again.  
  
Frustrated, she didn't try to stand up again this time, figuring she had best wait out the turbulence on the ground. She could hear footsteps racing down other halls as the duelists frantically tried to figure out what was going on.  
  
After a moment she heard Kaiba's voice over the PA. He was barking orders in the control room to try and stabilize the ship, as well as find out what was going on. He didn't seem to be broadcasting his conversation through the ship, so Shayla guessed someone must have hit the intercom button in the turbulence.  
  
"What is going on?!" demanded Kaiba. "What is the meaning of this?!"  
  
"Something is forcing us off of course," stammered one of the pilots.  
  
"What do you mean off of course!?" growled Seto.  
  
"Our systems have been over-ridden! We're being re-directed!" exclaimed another.  
  
"The direct us back on course!" snapped Kaiba.  
  
"I can't! We've been hacked..We're locked out!" he stammered.  
  
"Can't you just unlock it then?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"What is going on?" moaned Shayla, listening to all of this. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. And after the start of the finals, she wasn't sure if she could handle any more surprises.  
  
"What gives?!" came a new voice as a door was heard opening. Shayla recognized the speaker as Joe. "You know some of us like to sleep in the morning."  
  
"We're being pulled off course!" said a pilot.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Yu-Gi. Shayla guessed most of the group had to be in the control room right now.  
  
"Hack your way back into our systems!" ordered Kaiba.  
  
"I'm trying!" he stammered.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" asked Duke, referring to something he saw out the front window.  
  
"That is our intended destination," said Seto.  
  
"That is the very first headquarters of Kaiba Corp.," added Mokuba.  
  
"It looks like a pile of rusted scrap metal," retorted Joe.  
  
"I built that to commemorate my succession to Kaiba Corp. It represents the triumph of new over old," said Kaiba.  
  
"Some start of a company," muttered Drake. Shayla could tell he had to be close to the receiver, because he was so quit she never would have heard him otherwise.  
  
"I don't get it," said Téa, to the group.  
  
"Kaiba Corp. wasn't always a game company. Before, under our step-father, they used to make machines and weapons for war. But Seto changed all that," answered Mokuba.  
  
"That's enough, Mokuba," snapped Kaiba, in the harshest tone Shayla had ever heard him take with his little brother.  
  
"I think we hit a sore spot," muttered Joe. That was when another jolt shook the ship. Shayla was grateful she hadn't bothered to stand up, because it sounded like those in the control room were knocked to the ground again.  
  
"I am really getting sick of this," groaned Lara.  
  
"You haven't gotten us back on course yet?!" growled Seto.  
  
"Nothing I've tried has worked!" he protested.  
  
"We're being forced to descend!" reported another.  
  
"Where? There's nothing here but water!" exclaimed Tristan.  
  
"What's that?!" exclaimed Yu-Gi as he pointed to something in the ocean.  
  
"Greetings, Seto," said a new voice.  
  
"What is this?!" demanded Seto.  
  
"He's hacked into our communications system!"  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?!" demanded Kaiba to the transmission.  
  
"Always with the orders, right Seto?" taunted the speaker. Shayla guessed, by the tone of his voice, that he was still quite young, maybe no older than Serenity or Mokuba.  
  
"What gives?" asked Joe.  
  
"You are now all my prisoners and will be landing on my base shortly," answered the boy.  
  
"What do you want?!" snapped Kaiba, anger flaring.  
  
The boy laughed as the airship continued to descend. Shayla could feel her ears popping slightly.  
  
"Can't even control his own ship," Drake mutter, again very quietly, but still close enough for the PA to pick him up.  
  
"You have some nerve!" yelled Joe.  
  
The boy ignored him. "I have waited a long time for this, Seto. Now, if you and your friends will kindly step off of the ship when it lands.."  
  
"Yeah, right," said Duke, sarcastically.  
  
"If you have a problem with me, you will deal with me. Leave the others out of this!" growled Kaiba.  
  
Shayla shook her head. "I never know what to think of him, there he is being almost noble again...and in a minute he'll be a jerk..."  
  
"It won't work that way, Seto. All of you are coming, or else," said the boy.  
  
There was a lurch as the airship came to a halt. It had landed on some sort of submarine. A second later came the sound of gunshot as the boy ordered open fire on the ship. Shayla hadn't been expecting this. She screamed and curled into a tight ball. The PA proved she wasn't the only one screaming, though. A bit of plaster fell from the wall above her, showing how close some of those shots actually were.  
  
"I can't handle any more surprises!" groaned Shayla, shaking.  
  
"Are you convinced?" taunted the boy.  
  
"What do you want with us?!" demanded Kaiba.  
  
"Again with the orders, Seto? That will be revealed in time," he answered. "Now, I want ever duelist off of the ship. Now. You have three minutes or we will open fire again."  
  
"Every duelist?!" exclaimed Shayla, although it came out as more of a squeak.  
  
"Who are you?!" demanded Yu-Gi, his voice sounding like it did every time he dueled.  
  
"Call me Noah," Noah answered, then ended the transmission.  
  
The control room broke into frenzied discussion as they decided what they were going to do. In the end they realized they had no choice and the group filed out of the control room, which ended what Shayla heard.  
  
"They want every duelist..." she thought. "This is not good. I should be with my friends..but.. They opened fire..Oh gosh, someone is going to die..."  
  
It was quite for several minutes before Shayla heard gunshots again. She didn't know why, but she feared the worst. Actually, the shots were warning shots to keep the crew on the airship.  
  
The next silence was even longer. This time it was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps in the halls. Shayla tried to place the stride, but it was unfamiliar. That wasn't doing anything to calm her nerves, which were working themselves into knots for the uncounted time since she entered Battle City.  
  
"Hey! I found one!" yelled the newcomer. Shayla jumped. They had to be talking about her.  
  
"Come on dearie, Noah wants you," said one as they approached.  
  
"Leave me alone!" yelled Shayla as she sprang to her feet, hoping to run into her room and lock the door.  
  
She was too slow. Noah's men were on her in a moment. One grabbed both her arms and shoved them behind her back, before proceeding to drag her off of the ship.  
  
"Let me go!" she yelled as she fought back.  
  
"Sorry, just business," he said. Then he turned to his partner. "See if you can find the missing duelists."  
  
"Right," agreed the second as he ran off.  
  
After going down two halls and a stairs, Shayla was drug off of the ship. They were in the hold of a type of submarine. The walls were metallic and bare. The whole place seemed to be deserted except for the duelists.  
  
"Shayla!" called the group when they saw her.  
  
The man let her go and shoved her into the middle of them. Shayla grabbed an arm to keep herself from falling. It turned out to be Duke's arm. But she didn't let go after she had steadied herself. She continued to hold on, because her nerves were far from steady. Duke looked a bit uncomfortable about the pressure she was putting on, but did not shove her off.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Téa. Shayla shook her head, not trust her mouth to answer.  
  
Seto glared briefly at Duke, feeling a twinge of jealousy that Shayla was on him. Then he shook his head to remind himself that he wanted to forget his feelings towards the blind girl.  
  
"This is so stupid," muttered Joe. "When I get my hands on that little punk."  
  
"I think it is a bit more serious than that," said Yu-Gi.  
  
"Guys, we have to remain optimistic. I am sure we can negotiate our way out of this," said Drake.  
  
"We are all going to die," moaned Shayla.  
  
"So much for being optimistic," said Duke.  
  
"I'm afraid too," said Serenity.  
  
"I won't let anything happen to you," said Joe, putting an arm around her.  
  
One of Noah's men appeared on one of the airship's upper level open passages. "Noah, we found three more duelists, but they are completely unconscious. The only ones unaccounted for are the Ishtars, and they are nowhere to be found."  
  
"At least Ishizu is safe," thought Shayla. That didn't stop her from shaking, though.  
  
"Now we can begin," said Noah's voice over a speaker.  
  
"I grow tired of these games," said Kaiba, to the surrounding area. "Show yourself Noah!"  
  
Noah wasn't the one who showed himself. Instead, five men wearing business suits appeared at the far end of the field.  
  
"Who are they?" asked Duke.  
  
"It can't be!" gasped Mokuba. "Gamesly, Crum, Johnson, Nesbit, and Lector, also known as the Big 5. They used to work for Kaiba Corp. until Seto fired them."  
  
"Hey! Aren't those the creeps who tried to trap us all in the virtual world?" asked Joe.  
  
"The very same," said Seto, glaring at his former employees with hatred. "But when we beat the Mythic Dragon, we sealed you in the virtual world."  
  
"That you did, Mr. Kaiba," said Johnson.  
  
"But with Noah's help, we will escape," added Nesbit.  
  
"I fail to see how," glared Kaiba.  
  
"We have been trapped in the virtual world so long that we can no longer get back to our own bodies," said Crum.  
  
"So, we are going to take yours," finished Lector.  
  
"What?!" gasped the group.  
  
"You're joking, right?" asked Lara.  
  
"No, my dear, we are being quit serious," said Gamesly.  
  
"How is it even possible for you to be here?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"What you are seeing is no more than a hologram created by Noah," answered Lector.  
  
"I've dealt with you once, I'll do it again!" snapped Seto. "I don't treat traitors kindly."  
  
"Oh! They were the ones that were trying to make the deals with Industrial Illusions?" asked Téa.  
  
"We've severed all ties with them," said Drake, coldly. "That was a mistake."  
  
"Erm...sorry," said Téa.  
  
"What kind of game are you playing?!" demanded Yu-Gi.  
  
"A game you are very familiar with," answered Crum as the world began to blur around them.  
  
"What is going on?!" cried Serenity.  
  
Shayla had entered the virtual world once before. Then it was like drifting off to sleep and waking up somewhere else. This time it was like falling from a skyscraper.  
  
"W-where are we?" asked Joe as the area came into focus. They were standing in the middle of a prehistoric jungle.  
  
"How did we get here?" asked Tristan.  
  
"We didn't go anywhere," said Kaiba. "We are still in the same room."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Duke.  
  
"This is a virtual reality stimulator," he answered. "And a poor one at that. I was designing better technology when Noah was still in diapers."  
  
"Look out!" cried Téa as a dinosaur loomed into view. It started walking towards the group. Everyone one huddled in the back of the clearing, everyone except Kaiba.  
  
"Get out of there!" cried Yu-Gi.  
  
Kaiba smirked.  
  
The dinosaur slashed at him. Someone screamed.  
  
Its claws went right through Seto like they were a ghost.  
  
"None of this is real," said Kaiba. "And I will not be intimidated."  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Téa as she walked over to a flower. Her hands went right through it.  
  
"It was realer last time," said Joe.  
  
"Yeah.hey, Kaiba, did you change your clothes?" asked Téa as she looked up.  
  
"That's not me," answered Kaiba. Téa jerked her head between the two identical Kaibas, then backpedaled in shock towards the group.  
  
"What is going on here?" demanded Drake.  
  
"A demonstration," echoed one of the voices of the Big 5.  
  
"But why are there two of him?" asked Lara.  
  
"I used to create virtual copies of myself all the time to duel against," answered Seto.  
  
"Why?" asked Tristan.  
  
"Who better?" answered Kaiba with a smirk.  
  
"Now what's that?!" exclaimed Serenity as another monster walked into view.  
  
"In this duel Seto Kaiba will be dueling Total Defense Shogun," came the voice again.  
  
"I don't like this," groaned Shayla, who had let to release her death-grip on Duke.  
  
"Each duelist must first select his deck-master," continued the Big 5. "Seto Kaiba has chosen the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Total Defense Shogun, since he has taken on the form of a monster, will be acting as his own deck- master."  
  
"Deck-master?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"Total Defense Shogun will start the duel by moving himself to the field. Now it is Kaiba's turn," as they narrated the holograms did the actions. "He summons Lord of Dragons, then activates Flute of Summoning Dragon to bring his other two Blue-Eyes to the field. Then he will bring his deck- master to the field and use Polymerization to create the Blue-Eye Ultimate Dragon." The hologram Kaiba pointed and the Ultimate Dragon attacked. "But he seems to have forgotten one thing. Total Defense Shogun will use his deck-master's special ability. That reflexes the incoming attack, destroying the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. And since his deck-master was destroyed, Seto Kaiba has lost the duel." The virtual players broke to data. "And that is what will happen to the real one, too!" This was followed by maniacal laughter.  
  
"New rules... we can handle this, right Lara?" asked Drake. She nodded  
  
"And don't forget, when you lose, we gain possession of your body," continued the Big 5. "Then we will finally leave the virtual world in your bodies while your minds stay imprisoned here, forever!"  
  
"They can't do that, can they. It isn't possible!" cried Shayla.  
  
"We won't lose!" snapped Yu-Gi.  
  
"Crushing you five again will be too easy," said Kaiba, smirking.  
  
"Then play our game!" With that the virtual world dissolved again and Shayla felt herself falling as the entire place reconfigured itself according to Noah's whim. They were trapped in his world and the only way out was to duel. 


	2. Welcome to the Virtual World

**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Ugh.where am I?" groaned Joe as he slowly woke up. He looked around. He was inside some sort of castle, apparently the grand hall. Big curving staircases were on either wall. Thick red carpet lined the floor. Several suits of armor stood in the corners. It was lit by a large chandelier. The only problem was that he was completely alone here.  
  
"Hey! Yu-Gi! Serenity!" he called. The only answer he got was the echo of his own voice. "Where is everyone? This has to be some kind of game Noah is playing!" He started wandering around. He'd call out names every so often, but other than that there was no sign of life anywhere.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Joe? Where are you? Is anyone here?" called Serenity, nervously. She was completely alone, standing on the edge of a lake in the middle of a meadow in the middle of a forest. She looked around, truly concerned, but the only thing moving was herself.  
  
"Guys! I'm scared!" she called, but there was no way anyone could have responded to her.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
/Aibou! Wake up!/ Yami called to Yu-Gi.  
  
/Ugh..where are we?/ asked Yu-Gi as he slowly stood up. He looked around. A thick wall of trees was behind him. In front was a small lake, nowhere near the size of the one Serenity was at. Strange Duel Monsters calls could be heard echoing through the trees. But nothing sounded human. He was completely alone.  
  
/Where are the others?/ Yu-Gi asked Yami.  
  
/We are in Noah's world now.../ Yami reminded him.  
  
/Well, we'd better start trying to find a way out of here,/ commented Yu- Gi.  
  
Insane laughter broke his conversation with his alter-ego. The waters on the lake began to ripple. A whirlpool was formed and out of that rose a Duel Monster. This one a greenish-blue was half reptilian half humanoid. It wore some kind of neo-armor. It was the Deep Sea Warrior.  
  
"What is going on here?!" demanded Yu-Gi.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gamesly of the Big 5. You will now duel me and the winner will leave this world in your body!" Gamesly cackled.  
  
"That will never happen!" countered Yami, who had taken over. "We will crush you and the rest of the Big 5!"  
  
"You are so naïve. I was the former vice president of business at Kaiba Corp. I know how to make an unstoppable work force," said Gamesly. "And that is how I duel. You won't stand a chance!"  
  
"I will stop you!" snapped Yami Yu-Gi. "I will not let you leave this place and I will not let you hurt my friends!"  
  
"You may be the best duelist in the world, but there is one thing you haven't counted on. And that is my desire to leave this place, so chose your deck well!" cackled Gamesly. As he finished talking a square of cards floating in mid-air appeared in front of Yu-Gi. The cards began to scroll down, much like a computer does.  
  
"What is this?!" gasped Yami.  
  
"You need to construct your deck anew from our card data base. So hurry and choose wisely, you don't want any winners to slip by you," said Gamesly.  
  
Yami focused on the cards in front of him and touched them, adding them to his deck. As soon as his deck was full the database disappeared.  
  
"Now, we need to select our Deck Masters," said Gamesly. "I have already taken the form of a monster, so my Deck Master will be the Deep Sea Warrior."  
  
"That is no problem for me" said Yami. "I choose the Dark..." As he pulled on his favorite card, Kuriboh popped out. "Huh?! I didn't choose you!"  
  
"Kuri?" said the Kuriboh.  
  
"What a pathetic Deck Master!" cackled Gamesly.  
  
"I wanted my Dark Magician," said Yami.  
  
"It is too late, you have already selected and your Deck Master cannot be changed," cackled Gamesly.  
  
"Very well then. I will win with Kuriboh," stated Yami.  
  
Gamesly laughed. "I will crush both you and your pathetic Deck Master!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Drake and Lara awoke to find themselves in a wetlands. They were on a large rock, which kept them from falling into the bog around them. Everything was extremely humid and dreary. Nothing stirred, not even the wind.  
  
"Lara, are you okay?" asked Drake.  
  
"I'm fine," she said as she tried to find a more comfortable position to sit in. But her shifting almost caused her to fall off of the rock. Her arms flailed wildly for a moment until they clung to Drake. He steady her.  
  
"This is definitely bizarre," he commented, looking around.  
  
"Yeah, but we are alone," smiled Lara as she tightened her embrace.  
  
Drake blushed slightly. "But who knows what the Big 5 is planning. We are going to have to be careful."  
  
"Yeah," sighed Lara. "I guess we should try to find the others."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Seto Kaiba and Mokuba were in another part of the forest, or it could have been another forest entirely, it was hard to tell. They, like the rest of the group, had been knocked unconscious by the lurch into the Virtual World. Nonetheless, Seto managed to put his arm protectively around his brother, even though they were both out of it.  
  
"Huh?" groaned Mokuba as he woke up. "Seto! Are you all right?"  
  
"Ugh.." groaned his brother. "I-I'm fine." He shook his head to clear it. He looked around. "So this is Noah's idea of a game." He didn't sound too impressed. "Come on Mokuba, we might as well try to find a way out of here."  
  
"Right, Seto," said Mokuba. "But what about the Big 5?"  
  
"I will make them pay!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"It's almost pretty here," said Téa as she walked along the bottom of a desert canyon. The rock walls were amazing. "I just wish I knew where the others were at."  
  
She slowly made her way down the sandy trail, looking around, more or less enjoying herself. But she froze in her tracks as a shadow fell over her.  
  
"Who's there?" she stammered.  
  
"EARGH!" growled a massive monster. It had blue skin and wore an animal skin robe. It had only one eye and wielded a large club. It was the Duel Monster Hitasume Giant.  
  
"EEK!" exclaimed Téa. The creature approached her, Téa ran.  
  
"What is this?!" cried Téa, terrified as several more giants appeared. Téa stopped. Between the walls of the canyon and the giants, she was completely surrounded.  
  
One threw its club at her. It was an over-shot, the club fell behind her. But the force of it dislodged rocks that showered her. Téa gasped as one cut her cheek.  
  
"This.This isn't like before!" she stammered. She remembered how her hands went through the flower. "This is real!"  
  
The giants charged forward and attacked. In a matter of seconds Téa was unconscious. The leader picked her up and threw her over its shoulder like she was a goat. Which she was in their eyes.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Tristan had woken up to find himself in a long fancy hallway. The carpet was red and the walls were solid okay. Several suits of armor stood guard here as well. It could have been part of the same castle Joe was in, but since it was the Virtual World, there was no way of knowing that. Duke was with him, still unconscious.  
  
"Duke, man, wake up," said Tristan as he shook the other guy.  
  
"Huh?" groaned Duke. His eyes flew open and he looked around. "Where's Serenity?!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Tristan.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"I really don't like surprises," groaned Shayla as she woke up.  
  
She was sprawled out in what she could best tell was a large meadow. Her backpack was tightly gripped in her right hand. She sat up. That was when her left hand found her walking stick in her lap. She thought that was odd, because it had been inside her backpack when she entered the Virtual World. She ran her fingers along it and was surprised to find that the joint that had broken when it came in contact with Pegasus's skull was fixed.  
  
"Oh.I get it," she sighed. "They want me to roam around this virtual nightmare." She sat back further, Indian style, and crossed her arms. "Ain't happening." She resolved in her mind to do nothing. "I'm not playing their game."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Noah watched every duelist from his command headquarters. He sat on a chair surrounded by screens showing each group. He cackled as he strung them along. The controls to the entire Virtual World were on the arms of his chair, literally at his fingertips. He could change the world at his every whim.  
  
"Looks like Téa has already met my giants," he laughed as the giants carried her back to their lair. "And those losers," he looked at Joe, then Duke and Tristan, "will be wandering my labyrinth forever!"  
  
He glanced at Serenity, "Poor girl, lost with out her friends?" he laughed. He looked over at Drake and Lara. "Aw, how cute. Looks like these two are going to provide the romance."  
  
"Pity about this one," he looked at the screen that showed Shayla. "She isn't doing anything entertaining. I'm going to have to do something to liven things up a bit." He glanced at the Kaiba brothers. "Then again, she may be useful...Poor Seto, he doesn't even know my software is scanning his memories at this very moment."  
  
"And then we have Gamesly and Yu-Gi," said Noah. The duel was about over. Gamesly had come out strong and nearly won, but Yu-Gi had summoned his Deck Master to the field, and, using a magic card, finished Gamesly off fairly quickly. "One failure. And I had high hopes that the Big 5 would actually be able to deal with a group of teenages."  
  
AN/ Sorry about the short chapter and skipping over Yu-Gi's duel. I would just be reiterating it, so I didn't feel like taking the time. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


	3. The Penguin King

Gema: And POF enters season 3 as well!!!  
  
Lady Akhana: Too bad we had to find a new base because of Alpha's guest.  
  
Alpha: Hehehehe...well, at least with Sephiroth and Drake handling my fics, I can dedicate more time to POF!  
  
Moonlady: Sure, whatever excuse is convient to you.  
  
Star: That pharaohs and I have finished installing the new security system.  
  
Pharaoh Light: The lightbulbs are in place.  
  
Pharaoh Dark: And so is the mayonnaise wall.  
  
Gema: Is everyone here?  
  
Demon Child: All piranha bunnies present and accounted for!  
  
Fox Demon: All shadow foxes too!  
  
Bakurakrazie: I think that was too much information.  
  
Akhana: Speaking of information, we all know the penguin king has finally revealed himself!  
  
Livi: Death to the Big 5!  
  
Seadragon1012: Yes! Let's gather the mustard and bring him down!  
  
Gema: We have something even better!  
  
Akhana: POF has made it on the web!  
  
Imp is Insane: Yes!!! Now the whole world can oppose the penguins!  
  
Moonlady: Those of you who haven't joined need to!  
  
Demon Child: And I'll introduce you to my vampire shadows!  
  
Kitty Tigri: Don't say that! You'll scare away the recruits!  
  
Phantom 1: Now that we have a new headquarters and a web page, we need to move out! The penguins aren't going to defeat themselves!  
  
Gema: We need to wait until our spies get back.  
  
Cloud Dragon: Cool! We have spies!!!  
  
Demon of Shadows: I have to burst everyone's bubble, but the penguin guy is MIA.  
  
Imp is Insane: Hopefully someone shot him.  
  
Livi: With lots of mustard!  
  
Kitty Tigri: Gee..so much violence here.. '^__^'  
  
Alpha: So what is the plan at taking down the penguin king?  
  
Dark Fox: More shadow foxes!!!! *everyone starts scooting away*  
  
Phantom 1: I say we beat them at their own game!  
  
Gema: Exactly!  
  
Seadragon1012: I think our spies are back. *enter Master of Dimensions, Diamond Lance, and Black Belt Timmy*  
  
Master of Dimensions: We're back!!!  
  
Diamond Lance: We know the penguins are going to attempt public brainwashing!  
  
Star: That's bad.  
  
Bakurakrazie: We need to confront them!  
  
Gema: We will.  
  
Cloud Dragon: Who's the new guy.  
  
Black Belt Timmy: I'm not new!  
  
Akhana: This is Timmy, he is the original spy who discovered the penguin's first movement.  
  
Black Belt Timmy: and I've been spying on them ever since. Sorry I missed all the prior meetings.  
  
Alpha: Yes! More members!  
  
Master of Dimensions: We found out a lot. Get comfortable everyone, the debriefing can take awhile.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Téa woke up with a slight groan. She was laid out on some kind of long stone surface. She leaned over the edge, then back-pedaled. She was at least fifty feet off of the ground on a ledge. Down below the giants had gathered around a large, bubbling pot.  
  
"I don't want to stay for dinner," groaned Téa. "Considering I am probably going to be dinner." She began to look for a way out, but the only one she could see was straight down. This was definitely not a good situation to be in.  
  
She felt something brush against her cheek. She looked over. A rope was dangling from a hole in the ceiling. Téa glanced down once, weighing her options. Then she grabbed the rope and began to climb. She could have sworn she saw something watching her with beady eyes, but with the sunlight streaming in, she couldn't be sure. Whatever it was, it had to be better than the giants (says the authoress with sarcasm).  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"If this is Noah's idea of a game, I am not amused!" said Lara as she and Drake attempted (and failed) to navigate the swamp in the driest way possible.  
  
"Why am I not surprised Kaiba would somehow be behind getting us into a mess like this?" asked Drake with a groan.  
  
"Mess is right," agreed Lara as she sunk into mud up to her left knee.  
  
"I don't know about you," said Drake, "but I am ready to kick some major butt!"  
  
"I am starting to feel the same way," agreed Lara, eyeing the virtual world evilly.  
  
The thick fog parted slightly, enough to reveal a door floating six inches above the mire. It seemed completely out of place. The couple stopped and stared at it in disbelief for a few moments.  
  
"What do you think this is, a trap?" asked Drake.  
  
"I'll bet it is," said Lara. "Then again, it might be a way out."  
  
"Well, trap or exit, it has to be better than this place," said Drake as he put a hand on the doorknob.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Tristan, this hallway is never going to end," commented Duke.  
  
"It has to end!" protested Tristan.  
  
"No it doesn't. This isn't reality. It will only end when Noah wants it to," Duke pointed-out.  
  
"Then maybe we have to make a way out!" exclaimed Tristan. He jerked a battle-axe out of the hands of a near-by suit of armor.  
  
"That will never work," said Duke.  
  
"Do you have any better ideas?!" snapped Tristan as he swung at the wall.  
  
Duke paused, thought about it, and shrugged. He grabbed another axe and joined Tristan in trying to smash through the wall.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Now where are we?" Yu-Gi asked Yami. They had entered a long corridor with black walls. It seemed to go on forever, and every turn seemed to bring him right back to where he started. Of course, it was hard to tell if it was the true beginning or another corridor that looked just like it. It was like a labyrinth certain game companies like to torture their players with.  
  
"In another part of Noah's world," answer Yami. "Beyond that, I do not know. But it is imperative that we find the others before one of the Big 5 find them."  
  
"If they have to duel..." started Yu-Gi. "Téa doesn't have that much experience dueling, and Serenity and Tristan don't duel at all!"  
  
"Let's hurry aibou," said Yami and the two of them started running.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Téa had just scrambles across a narrow rope bridge with the giants in hot pursuit. The rope bridge had snapped, leaving them on one side of the gorge and her on the other. She slid to the ground, tired from running and nerves shaking.  
  
"I..." she moaned. "I think I'm going to..rest here a bit." She still seemed pretty agitated. Just then, a small creature waddled over to her.  
  
(Gema: Must destroy!!!!)  
  
(Akhana: Not yet, Gema. Those cursed bird will pay. But you can blow them up yet. We have to follow the plans.)  
  
(Gema: *grumbles*)  
  
(Akhana: And hand over your Baka Hammer. We wouldn't want any innocent by- standers to suffer more.)  
  
(Gema: *grumbles more and complies*)  
  
Téa looked up and saw a penguin looking at her with its beady eyes. It seemed curiously interested in her.  
  
"I remember!" gasped Téa. "You saved me from the giants."  
  
The penguin did a half nod and waddled off. Téa got the impression that it wanted her to follow, so she did. She followed it across land, to a beach, and onto a raft, where she drifted out to sea. Slowly icebergs began to appear in the water. She was in penguin territory.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Seto, this place could go on forever!" groaned Mokuba, who's feet were hurting from walking so much.  
  
Seto Kaiba didn't answer, he knew that statement was true enough. His anger with Noah had put a small flame of anger in his eyes. He was focused. He hated being toyed with, and he was plotting how he would make Noah suffer.  
  
"Why is he doing this?" asked Mokuba, who was beginning to feel concerned for his brother. He wanted to bring Seto out of his mood somehow.  
  
"I have no idea," answered Seto. "But something tells me there is more to this than what we see. Whatever his reason...."  
  
Seto trailed off, the harsh look in his eyes. Mokuba looked away, feeling all the more concerned.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Shayla had not budged a muscle from the clearing she had awoke in. She could hear strange monster cries all around her, and yet she refused to move. She knew that to Noah they were nothing more than pawns, and she made set in her mind that she would not be played with. Give that fact, she knew it was only a matter of time before he or his cronies tried something. But Defiance was showing. She was planning on being as difficult as possible. A monster shrieked nearby.  
  
"This isn't real," she reminded herself. "None of this is. It is all an illusion."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Téa walked through the halls of a large ice palace. Penguin after penguin stood around, watching her with beady eyes. It seemed way too ...freaky. Téa was feeling a slight chill in the air, and was eager to get on and find her friends. That's when the hall opened to a large chamber, the grand hall. Even more penguins milled about here. But one large blue penguin in an actual tux sat on a throne.  
  
"Um.excuse me.." started Téa.  
  
"Téa Gardner," said the penguin. "I have the numbers of your life  
right here. 5' 7", shoe size 7, waist line.."  
  
"Now hold it right there!" snapped Téa. "Who are you?"  
  
"Sorry I didn't introduce myself," said the lead penguin. "I am Crum of the Big 5. I was Kaiba Corps. Main accountant until Kaiba fired us. Now I am going to duel you for your body!"  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Téa. She turned to run. But a large sheet of ice rose, cutting off her escape route. She turned, desperately looking for another one, but the ice castle broke into pieces around her and fell into the sea. There wasn't anything left except the tiny iceberg she was on, and the one her opponent was on. The penguins poked their heads out of the water and watched with their evil eyes.  
  
"Now select your deck from the virtual card data-base," said Crum. Row after row of cards appeared in front of Téa.  
  
"No way! I'm not dueling!" she protested. As those words were out of her mouth, a duel disk formed on her arm.  
  
"You have no choice. I am leaving this world in your body if you don't duel," said Crum.  
  
"Grrrr," growled Téa. She turned to the cards nonetheless and began to select her deck.  
  
"Now we both have to select our deck masters," said Crum. "Since I have taken the form of a monster, my deck master will be the Nightmare Penguin."  
  
"Deck Master.." muttered Téa as she flipped through the cards she had chosen. "I had a dream about this..My Deck Master will be the Dark Magician Girl!"  
  
Crum started laughing. "What's so funny?!" demanded Téa.  
  
"You forgot to put the Dark Magician in your deck, and without him, your Deck Master will never be strong!" he clucked.  
  
"We'll just see about that!" snapped Téa. "I start by playing Ancient Elf!" An elf with a weird violet outfit appeared in front of her. It had dark hair and a long staff. It had an attack of 1450. "Then I play one card face down. You're turn."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Duke and Tristan were still pounding away at the wall of the castle they were stuck in. They had hardly made a dent in the wall, when all of a sudden it completely crumbled. Behind it was a door, much like the one Drake and Lara had found.  
  
"Finally," muttered Tristan, wiping sweat from his forehead.  
  
"This all seems a little too convenient for me," replied Duke.  
  
"After all that work, we're going through it," said Tristan as he flung the door wide open.  
  
They both stepped outside, onto a parapet of the castle. They were several long feet off of the ground, but they were out.  
  
"Help!" they heard someone cry. "Anybody!"  
  
"It's Serenity!" gasped Duke.  
  
Serenity was being chased by a very large, very angry Mad Sword Beast. The beast looked like a rhinoceros that had a sword instead of a horn. It was gaining on her fast.  
  
"Come on!" exclaimed Tristan. With that he leapt down from the wall and onto the back of the Mad Sword Beast. It began to thrash around like a bucking-bronco. Tristan was doing all he could just to hold on.  
  
Duke had also jumped from the wall, grabbed Serenity's hand, and pulled her safely away from the Duel Monster. It continued to thrash about until it tumbled into a nearby river. Tristan was the only one that surfaced.  
  
He swam from the river's edge and climbed out. Then he looked over and saw that Duke had taken full credit for rescuing Serenity. Tristan started grumbling under his breath as he rejoined them.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
For some reason, Noah felt the need to clue Yu-Gi in on how Téa's duel was progressing. That reason was probably for his own amusement. Every so often, Yu-Gi and Yami would hear Téa's voice in the hall they were trapped in. They heard when her monsters were destroyed, and how cold it got. Apparently Crum had designed this duel so that a lose of life points meant becoming an ice sculpture. Téa had quite a build-up around her. Crum, being a penguin, seemed to enjoy being frozen solid.  
  
"We have to hurry Yami!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. They had discovered the secret of the hallway. The four doors held Duel Monsters. They had to be beaten, weakest to strongest, in order to escape from the maze.  
  
"Yes, we must," agreed Yami. Yu-Gi prepared to attack the next monster with his Dark Magician. "Now wait, aibou. Not that one yet."  
  
"Okay Yami," agreed Yu-Gi as he used another monster.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
It had come to the point where everything was on the line between Téa and Crum. Crum had just less than half his life points at 1800, while Téa was slightly more at 2250. They both had no monsters on the field, Crum having used his as a tribute.  
  
"Now for my turn," said Crum. "I play Defender Iceberg in defense mode." It looked as it names suggests, a large block of ice that sat on his side of the field. Its defense was 2450. "Then I play one face down card and activate Penguin Torpedo!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Téa.  
  
"Oh yes!" clucked Crum. "Penguin Torpedo has an attack of 550, but with my Deck Master's special ability, that is raise to 750. And now it will directly attack your life points!"  
  
"Agh!" gasped Téa as the bullet-shaped penguin hit her and exploded. That heat was quickly replaced with more freezing. Téa was all but an ice cube now, she only had enough mobility left to duel. Her life points were at 1500.  
  
"I bring my Dark Magician Girl to the field," said Téa with chattering teeth. The Dark Magician Girl placed a hand on her should and took her place on the battle line. Her attack was only 2000, too weak to penetrate the Defender Iceberg.  
  
"Is that all?" laughed Crum. "This is as good as over! When I destroy your Deck Master, your body is mine!" Téa glared at him. "I play Ocean of Regeneration, which lets me bring back my Penguin Torpedo! You know what that means!"  
  
"Great..." moaned Téa. She gasped in pain as the Penguin Torpedo exploded in front of her again, taking her down to a slim 750 life points.  
  
"There has to be something I can do," thought Téa.  
  
"Trust me," said the Dark Magician Girl. Téa looked at her and nodded.  
  
"I will activate my Deck Master's special ability," said the Dark Magician Girl. Téa looked at her and nodded.  
  
"I will activate my Deck Master's special ability," said Téa. "Dark Magic Energies!"  
  
With that the Dark Magician Girl began to glow. All of Téa's monsters that had gone before her appeared around her. Their energy let Téa draw one card per monster in her graveyard.  
  
"Did you get the card we need?" asked the Dark Magician Girl.  
  
"Yes!" cheered Téa. "I activate Sage Stone!"  
  
"What?!" gasped Crum.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Look! It's Téa!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. They had survived the labyrinth and were now close to the duel. A think sheet of clear ice was the only thing that stopped them from racing to their friend's aid.  
  
FLASH! Yu-Gi deck began to glow. The Dark Magician formed in front of him, broke through and shattered the ice, and raced to Téa's side.  
  
"This is our chance!" exclaimed Yami and the two of them raced to her.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
That flash of light glittered across the frozen landscape. One lone person looked up and saw it. He watched it for a moment, puzzled. Then everything clicked. He gasped and started running towards the light, trying not to slip on the ice as he went.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Oh yes!" cheered Téa. "Sage Stone lets me summon the Dark Magician to the field!" Both dark magicians stood side by side, ready to finish their opponent off. "Finish that foul bird with Double Dark Magic attack!" ordered Téa.  
  
The two spell-casters leapt forward. The Dark Magician blasted the Defender Iceberg to snowflakes as the Dark Magician Girl blasted Crum directly, taking all his life points.  
  
"NO!" cried Crum as he froze into a feathered Popsicle.  
  
The duel being over, the ice melted off of Téa. She slid to the ground, limbs tingling with cold.  
  
"Téa! Téa!" called Yu-Gi as he raced to her.  
  
"Yu-Gi?!" called Téa. "Thank goodness."  
  
"Are you all right?" asked Yu-Gi as he helped her back onto solid ground.  
  
"I have never been so cold in my entire life!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I'm glad you're safe," he commented.  
  
"I'll be better when we get out of this frozen wasteland."  
  
"Good idea," agreed Yu-Gi as they started walking.  
  
A shadow fell across their path. They looked up. A boy about their age with blond hair and blue eyes stood in front of them. Téa and Yu-Gi seemed a little wary, and after all they been through, who could blame them?  
  
The stranger spoke first. "Hi, I'm Kevin Hunter. Are you the ones the Big 5 have brought here to challenge?"  
  
AN/ Kevin belongs to Blue-Eyes Knight. Not me.  
  
AN2/ Sorry about the lack of penguin bashing to all loyal POF members. I have much more evil plans in store for them in the next chapters.  
  
And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


	4. Another One Bites the Dust

Yu-Gi looked the stranger over and nodded, "Yes...."  
  
"I'm really glad I found you first," Kevin Hunter answered. Yu-Gi and Téa shifted nervously. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you guys are still a bit freaked about this who situation."  
  
"That's an understatement," muttered Téa. "I hate penguins...."  
  
"You've already dealt with Crum?!" gasped Kevin.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Téa.  
  
"He had no right messing with someone as lovely as you," replied Kevin. Téa seemed a bit surprised and stammered a bit.  
  
"You seem to know a lot about this place and the Big 5," said Yu-Gi.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," agreed Kevin, rubbing the back of his head. As he raised his arm he revealed the duel disk strapped to it. "I'll explain it all."  
  
"Can we please keep walking while we talk?" asked Téa. "It's too cold here." She was the least prepared for a winter expedition. She was only wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.  
  
"Sure," agreed the guys and they started over the ice.  
  
"So Kevin...you were going to explain?" prompted Yu-Gi.  
  
"Yeah," he paused. "I'm not exactly sure where to start...."  
  
"The beginning is always good," suggested Yu-Gi.  
  
"Sure," the new-comer shrugged. "I guess it started when I entered the Battle City tournament."  
  
"You entered?" asked Téa, a bit surprised.  
  
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, I was doing really well too. I had four locator cards and everything....Then things started to go wrong."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"Well, I ran across this guy who said if I followed him to duel on some new kind of technology Kaiba Corp. was cooking up and won, I'd get two locator cards instead of one, putting me right into the finals. So I jumped at the chance," Kevin continued.  
  
"Pity things that seem too good to be true often are," sighed Téa.  
  
"And this was the case," agreed Kevin. "It turned out to be some sort of test for the new virtual reality world...what we are stuck in now. The guy that found me was working for the Big 5. They wanted to make sure everything worked for when you guys showed up, so they decided to use me as a guinea pig." He clenched a fist at that. "I guess they thought I'd be an easy target." He smirked. "But they haven't been able to bring me down yet. The problem is, I haven't been able to find a way out of here. On the other hand, I've almost figured this place out. I also know they have a major grudge against you guys and Seto Kaiba. So I told myself I'd help you in any way possible; first to spite them and second, hopefully, all of us can find a way out of here."  
  
"Wow....." muttered Yu-Gi after an awkward silence. "That's a lot to have happen...."  
  
"Tell me about it," sighed Kevin. "I am really getting sick of it."  
  
"I don't think we ever introduced ourselves," said Téa. "I'm Téa Gardener."  
  
"A lovely name," said Kevin as he smiled at her.  
  
"And I'm Yu-Gi Motou," added Yu-Gi.  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Kevin. "You're the Yu-Gi Motou? It's an honor to meet you."  
  
"Thanks...." muttered Yu-Gi, a bit sheepishly.  
  
"Do you know how we can find our friends?" asked Téa. Then she shivered a little bit.  
  
"Not precisely," said Kevin. "Noah likes to change this place at whim, and if he doesn't want us to find them we won't. Our best bet is to keep going until we find them."  
  
"Great....." muttered Yu-Gi and Téa.  
  
"Well, anything has to be better than hanging out here," said Téa, rubbing her hands on her arms to try to keep warm.  
  
"Here, you can have my blazer," said Kevin as he took of his red jacket. "I've been here a bit longer, so I'm used to it."  
  
"Wow...thanks Kevin," said Téa as she accepted it.  
  
"Anything for a pretty lady," replied Kevin with a smile. Téa flushed a bit.  
  
"You must be a pretty good duelist if you managed to get four locator cards," said Yu-Gi.  
  
"Of course," smirked Kevin. "My dad taught me everything I know about dueling. I hope to make him proud by winning this tournament as soon as I get out of here. I only need two more locator cards."  
  
"Um...I'm sorry Kevin, but the finals are already half over," said Téa.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You haven't been missing anything, trust us," said Yu-Gi. "You are probably better off not being in them."  
  
"What do you mean?!" demanded Kevin.  
  
Téa and Yu-Gi were saved from having to answer by a door appearing in mid- air.  
  
"What is this?" asked Téa.  
  
"One of Noah's favorite games," sighed Kevin. "It means he wants us to go to the next level, so to speak."  
  
"Should we open it?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"Yes! It's freezing here!" exclaimed Téa.  
  
"We'd be better off," agreed Kevin. "Noah doesn't like it when you don't play along, and he's liable to make things even harder."  
  
"Okay," agreed Yu-Gi. He put a hand on the doorknob. "Here goes nothing."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Joe, turning around from the middle of his duel. "Who let in the draft?" Téa, Yu-Gi, and Kevin had emerged into a courtroom. The three had opened a door straight to his duel. It was quite a change from the frozen wasteland they had escaped. This looked like a genuine courtroom, complete with jury box. There were only two people present, Joe and his opponent, Johnson. Johnson had taken the form of Judgeman; he wore a violet and gold outfit complete with cape and crown that was supposed to look regal. But his face was so primitive with large round teeth, a flat nose, and square chin that one would think it had been a barbarian shoved into a king's outfit.  
  
"It's Joe!" Yu-Gi exclaimed.  
  
"Yu-Gi! Téa!" Joe gasped as he turned around. He looked Kevin over suspiciously. "And who's that?"  
  
"Order! Order in the court!" ordered Johnson as he pounded his gavel in front of him. "If you three do not be quiet, I will have you thrown out of my courtroom!" They shared a look and took a seat behind Joe.  
  
"You're on trial?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"I'm dueling one of the Big 5!" Joe said with a smug smile.  
  
"You're going to have to be careful," cautioned Kevin. "That's Johnson, and he's tricky..."  
  
"It's my move," interrupted Johnson.  
  
The duel wasn't looking great for Joe. He had no monsters in play and 2500 life points, but one face down card. Johnson had 1200 life points and Mystical Elf in defense mode. The golden haired elf had a defense of 2000, making her a considerable barrier.  
  
"This doesn't look too good for your friend," commented Kevin.  
  
"Joe can handle himself," said Yu-Gi. "He did come in second in the Duelist Kingdom."  
  
"He was second?" asked Kevin. "I never heard. All anyone talked about was you because you won it." Yu-Gi flushed a little from the fame he still had not adjusted to, but he was busy focusing on the duel.  
  
"I play Curtain of the Dark Ones," announced Johnson. His monster appeared on the left of his Mystical Elf. It was basically a long black cape with two skeleton arms sticking out. Its stats were a mere 500 and 600. "Now, I activate Polymerization to fuse together my Mystical Elf and my Curtain of the Dark Ones to form Kamion Wizard." As he talked he laid his magic card down. The two monsters spiraled together, creating a black-clad warrior with a large scythe. Its attack was only 1300, and somehow Joe seemed disappointed at that.  
  
"Now I play Sinister Justice," declared Johnson. "That let's me attack you directly now. Go Kamion Wizard!" The warrior charged forward and raised its scythe. It slashed across Joe's chest and he gasped in pain. Joe's life points dropped to 1200.  
  
"But Sinister Justice cost me 200 life points to play," added Johnson. That brought him down to 1000. "I play one face down card and end my turn."  
  
"My turn then!" said Joe, a bit snappishly. "I play Panther Warrior in attack mode!" His animal turned fighter appeared in front of him. It stood on its hind paws and carried a sword and shield, as well as wearing some basic green armor. Its attack was 2000, but Panther Warrior required a tribute in order to attack. "Then I'll also play one card face down and end my turn."  
  
"You're up to something, oh well," Johnson said with a shrug. "I activate my magic card Leading Question."  
  
"What does that do?!" gasped Téa.  
  
"It's major bad news," answered Kevin, who was glaring daggers at Johnson.  
  
"This magic card allows me to add 800 attack points to any monster made up of two other monsters," announced Johnson. "That makes my Kamion Wizard stronger than your Panther Warrior!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Joe.  
  
"Now, Kamion Wizard, attack his monster!" ordered Johnson.  
  
"Ha!" laughed Joe. "Now I activate Skull Dice!"  
  
"A trap card?!" gasped Johnson.  
  
"Exactly!" said Joe with a big smile. "And the attack of your monster will be cut depending on what number I roll!" As he spoke an imp holding a die as large as itself floated to the middle of the field and dropped the die. It spun around and landed on 6.  
  
"Yes!" cheered Joe. But before he could finish his cheer, the die jumped and landed on 1. "No way!"  
  
Johnson smirked, "You are going to have to find more convincing evidence than that."  
  
"That's tough luck Joe!" called Yu-Gi. "But you can still win this."  
  
"It seems everyone had rotten luck around Johnson," said Kevin, dryly.  
  
The Kamion Wizard completed its attack, slicing Joe's Panther Warrior to ribbons. That brought Joe down to 1100 life points. The duel was starting to turn in Johnson's favor. Joe started his next turn, looking grimly at the cards in his hand. He didn't have that many choices of monsters or magic cards that could help him out of this tight spot.  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Johnson, taunting him. "Did you use up all your best moves during the first stages of the trial?"  
  
"No!" protested Joe, but it was true.  
  
"You almost had this won! Until he turned it around and whipped you," Téa cheered. The guys sweat-dropped.  
  
"I play Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode," announced Joe. His monster looked like a marshmallow that had been shoved into armor. It had a Pillsbury © doughboy head with big bright eyes. It carried a sword and shield, but it hardly seemed a threat, and its stats mirrored that. "Now, I activate Graceful Dice!"  
  
"Alright Joe!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.  
  
A chibi angel floated down much like the imp had done for Skull Dice. It dropped a large green die, which rolled on the floor a bit before landing with the 6 side up.  
  
"YEAH!" Joe cheered. But again he had not completed his shout when the die jumped and stopped on one. Just like Skull Dice, Graceful Dice did not affect the monster at all.  
  
"Oh no! Not again!" groaned Joe as he collapsed, anime-style.  
  
"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Téa.  
  
"For some reason, I'm not surprised," said Kevin with gritted teeth.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"I'd tell you, but I can't prove it," answered Kevin.  
  
"The verdict is in, you're finished," Johnson said. "Because I know activate my Deckmaster's special ability, Clear the Courtroom!"  
  
"Not this again!" groaned Joe.  
  
Johnson smirked. "I will pay 1000 of my life points and force you to send all your monsters on the field to the graveyard." Johnson now had 800 life points left, but Joe was forced to discard his Swordsman of Landstar. "And now..."  
  
"My turn's not done yet!" exclaimed Joe. "I play two face down cards. Now you can go, your honor." The last part was laced with heavy sarcasm.  
  
"I activate Pot of Greed," announced Johnson. "I bet you wished you had this card, Joseph." Joe currently had no cards in his hand. He smirked.  
  
"Now I can, because I activate Gamble!" Joe announced.  
  
"Huh?" asked Johnson, a bit surprised.  
  
"You heard me," said Joe. "I activate Gamble, and it only works if I have no cards and you have six or more, which you do now!"  
  
"Gamble? That sounds risky," said Téa.  
  
"It is," agreed Yu-Gi. "It is one of the riskiest moves in Duel Monsters. First Joe will flip a coin and call it in the air. If he is correct he gets to draw a new hand, but if he is wrong he forfeits his next turn."  
  
"He can kiss his next turn good-bye," grumbled Kevin.  
  
"Don't be so negative," Téa scolded. "Joe has a fifty-fifty chance."  
  
"Not here," muttered Kevin, quiet enough so that no one heard him.  
  
Joe picked up a small silver coin that had materialized in front of him. He put it on the back of his hand and flipped it into the air, where it turned over itself several times. He then caught it and placed it on the back of his hand. Without yet looking at it Joe called, "Heads!" He removed his hand. "No way! It's tails! Awwww. The world hates me...." Johnson was chuckling.  
  
"Hey! I ain't done! I activate my last magic card, Scapegoats!" announced Joe.  
  
"This is bad," muttered Téa, Yu-Gi and Kevin murmured their agreements.  
  
"You expect to meet me with fuzzballs? It's my turn," said Johnson, his Judgeman disguise giving a big toothy grin. "I use Polymerization to fuse together Armail Warrior and One-Eyed Shield Dragon to create Dragoness the Wicked Knight!" His newest fusion formed from the cards in his hand. It was knight wearing dragon green armor. It's shield resembled the face of the One-Eyed Shield Dragon, and its armor was styled after the Armail Warrior.  
  
"Great..." muttered Joe. "And he can use Leading Question to make that one even stronger."  
  
"Correct," said Johnson. "Now, Kamion Wizard and Dragoness the Wicked Knight, attack two of his Scapegoats!" The tiny pastel colored goats didn't stand a chance.  
  
"All right, my turn!" snapped Joe.  
  
"Order! Order!" yelled Johnson, banging his gavel. "You forfeit this turn. Remember, you called heads but you got tails!"  
  
"Dang it!" Joe exclaimed as he punched the wooden railing in front of him. "Ow...note to self, do not punch virtual railing."  
  
"This luck of yours is bound to change, because it can't get any worse," Téa tried to encourage him.  
  
"Téa, as far as pep talks go, this is not your best work. I'm running out of options here!" Joe called back.  
  
"Hang in there!" Yu-Gi yelled.  
  
"My turn again, and I will take out your last defenses with my monsters! Attack!" order Johnson. The last two Scapegoats fell.  
  
Then, something none of them were expecting happened. In front of the jury box a green column of light began glowing. Everyone present gasped in surprise. That light quickly formed into a solid object, a person.  
  
"Noah!" gasped Yu-Gi as the aqua-haired boy appeared.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" snapped Kevin.  
  
"Johnson, I've had enough of your tricks!" snapped Noah, ignoring everyone else. "I will not tolerate cheaters!"  
  
"But Noah!" stammered Johnson. He was beginning to sweat. "You must understand my position! I'm desperate to get out of here, and I need his body to do so!"  
  
"You don't deserve that prize Johnson," Noah said. It seemed almost silly that this little boy could be making that massive Duel Monster squirm. "Not after what you've just pulled."  
  
"So he cheater." Joe said, his hands forming fists.  
  
"Yes, it's true, the honorable Judgeman is a fraud who has been cheating you from the beginning," Noah replied, coolly. "He's been using my virtual technology to tamper with your dice rolls." His eyes flashed dangerously at Johnson as he said that.  
  
"I knew it!" exclaimed Kevin.  
  
"How about I tamper with your face you big fat fake!" Joe growled, raising a fist.  
  
"Please Noah!" begged Johnson. "You must try to understand! I had no other choice!"  
  
"Then I'm afraid I have no other choice but to fire you," said Noah. "What you do reflects me. And I will never prove I am more deserving than Seto Kaiba if you cheat. Gozaboro should have left everything to me, and now I'm going to gain it all back. But I will not tolerate cheating!"  
  
"Excuse me boy if I may, the defendant would like to speak," Joe interrupted. Johnson and Noah both turned and looked at him. "I'm willing to let this duel continue, if Judge Gruesome agrees to clean up his act."  
  
"What?! Are you crazy?!" yelled Kevin. "If you keep your mouth shut you have this thing won!"  
  
"I don't know who you are, but when I beat this fraud, it proves Joe Wheeler doesn't back down and duels honorably!" Joe exclaimed.  
  
"You do realizes the stakes still stand," said Noah.  
  
"Of course," said Joe.  
  
"Have it your way," said Noah. Then he vanished.  
  
"You are a fool!" laughed Johnson. "Prepare to say good-bye to your body!"  
  
It's my turn, so why don't you shut up," said Joe. He drew his next card. "I think my luck is beginning to change now. I use Pot of Greed and draw two more cards!"  
  
"Big deal," said Johnson. "That cannot save you from the sentence you are about to receive!"  
  
"You do a lot of talking, we'll see where all that hot air gets you!" exclaimed Joe. "Now I move my Deckmaster onto the field!" His Flame Swordsman took two steps and stopped in front of Joe. It was a strong- looking monster, wearing blue armor with red trim and holding a large sword and stern expression. However, its attack had been decreased to 1300 thanks to Joe using its Deckmaster's special ability. "Then I play two magic cards. The first is Burning Soul Sword, which I equip to my Flame Swordsman to raise its attack!"  
  
"You seem to be forgetting something," said Johnson. "You need to tribute a monster to use Burning Soul Sword."  
  
"I haven't forgotten," replied Joe. "I tribute a monster, and it's attack points get added to my Flame Swordsman."  
  
Johnson sighed, "Then you over looked something. You have no monsters on the field to tribute!"  
  
"That's where my next magic card comes in," announced Joe. "Reveal Arjudice Decision!"  
  
"What does that do?" asked Téa.  
  
"It's another big risk on Joe's part," answered Yu-Gi. "First, he draws two cards. Then Johnson picks one. If it is a monster card, Joe can immediately summon it to the field. If it is a magic card, it goes to the graveyard and Joe's turn is over!"  
  
"This move will end the duel one way or another," said Kevin.  
  
Joe drew two cards and held them up, one in his left, and one in his right. "So what's it going to be, your honor?" He smirked.  
  
Johnson looked at the cards, then he studied Joe's face. "I chose the one in your left hand."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Joe. "I mean, really, really sure? You do realize this entire duel rests on your choice."  
  
"Yes I'm sure," answered Johnson. "The fact that you asked me twice proves I guessed right!"  
  
"Okay, have it your way," Joe answered with a smile.  
  
"Erm..." stammered Johnson, unnerved by the smile. "Wait..."  
  
"Yeah Joe! Stay tough! Johnson is losing his cool!" Yu-Gi cheered  
  
"Come on! Pick a card already. The suspense is driving me crazy!" Téa exclaimed.  
  
"If you can't take it imagine how Joe feels right now," Yu-Gi said to her.  
  
"Is this your final answer?" asked Joe.  
  
"I've spent years and years convincing people that lies were truth," Johnson said. "Yes!" He pounded his gavel. Joe's smile grew and he started to turn the card over.  
  
"WAIT!" exclaimed Johnson. "I've changed my mind, I want the one in the left!"  
  
Joe flipped it over, revealing the monster card Goblin Attack Force. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt."  
  
"No!" yelled Johnson.  
  
"Oh yes!" cheered Joe. "Now I tribute it and add 2300 attack points to my Flame Swordsman, which makes him strong enough to wipe out your Kamion Wizard and you remain life points! Attack Flame Swordsman with Burning Sword of Battle!" His monster raced forward, his sword burning brightly. It turned the Kamion Wizard to ashes.  
  
"NO!" yelled Johnson as he body began to break apart. "How can this be?! I once convinced a jury that a man who had hydrophobia stole a boat! How can I lose in the courtroom!? NO!!!" And he was gone.  
  
"Yes! You did it Joe!" cheered Téa and Yu-Gi.  
  
"Thanks guys! Now we need to find the others," said Joe.  
  
"Yeah, before the Big 5 do," agreed Yu-Gi.  
  
"The Big 5?!" exclaimed Joe.  
  
"They want to duel all of us..."  
  
"What do you mean all of us?!"  
  
"I mean everyone they brought here...."  
  
"But Serenity has never dueled before!!! We need to find her!"  
  
"Okay, calm down Joe," said Téa.  
  
Joe, however, was far from calm. He picked up Kevin by the collar. "You! Where is she!"  
  
"I don't know!" Kevin protested as he squirmed free.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but you have to know where she is! I bet you are a spy for the Big 5!" accused Joe.  
  
"My name is Kevin Hunter, and I am stuck here as much as you are!" Kevin yelled back.  
  
"I don't believe you!" exclaimed Joe.  
  
"Well, it's the truth!" Kevin yelled back.  
  
"BOYS!" screamed Téa. "We aren't helping anyone this way! Now quit fighting with each other!"  
  
"Right! I need to find Serenity!" agreed Joe. With that he turned and raced for the nearest door.  
  
"Wait up!" yelled Yu-Gi as everyone else took off after him.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Drake and Lara had opened a door that had lead them to a dingy factory section of an unknown city. The factories all seemed run down, with boards across the windows and doors. Everything seemed covered with dust. The pavement was cracked with tiny plants growing in it. The air was still and silent. But it was sunny and dry, which was a major improvement from the swamp they had escaped from.  
  
"Hello!" called Lara. "Anyone here?!"  
  
"Another fine mess Kaiba has gotten us into," grumbled Drake.  
  
"Do you think you could use the gauntlet to get us out of here?" asked Lara.  
  
"I don't think so," replied Drake. "Considering we aren't even 'here.' Here is just a virtual illusion, and we never left the hanger. So I really couldn't teleport us back, because we are technically still there."  
  
"This place seems real enough," said Lara. "I can even smell the motor oil."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Drake. "It's not like that demo form before. Noah is toying with us, and I don't like it."  
  
"Neither do I," agreed Lara. "I can't wait until one of them shows his face. Then we can teach him a lesson!"  
  
Drake chuckled, "Yeah, the Big 5 made the mistake of luring the best duelists in the world here. They are going to pay for shame Industrial Illusion's name. What would a bunch of sleazy businessmen know about dueling anyways?"  
  
"Why don't we show you!" said a voice from the shadows.  
  
"Who's there?!" demanded Drake and Lara as they wheeled around.  
  
Two figures walked stiffly out of an alley between two warehouses. They didn't look like normal humans, and that's because they weren't. The first was a cubical robot with a red and black covering. The second was a bald creature in a green robe with mechanical implants. They were the duel monsters Robotic Knight and Jinzo.  
  
"Looks like the circus lost a few freaks," Drake said, glaring at the newcomers.  
  
"You always were disrespectful young Pegasus," replied the Jinzo.  
  
"Do we know them?" Lara asked Drake.  
  
"I have a hunch..." he answered.  
  
"Perhaps re-introductions are in order," said Robotic Knight. "I am Nesbit, former tech expert of Kaiba Corp."  
  
"And I am Lector, former right hand of Gozaboro Kaiba," added the Jinzo.  
  
"Good, the Big 5," said Lara with a smile.  
  
"Just the people we were looking to pound," added Drake. "Of course, I use the term 'people' loosely."  
  
"How amusing," said Nesbit, dryly. "But for all your taunts, your bodies will be ours! Then we can bring Industrial Illusions under our thumb!"  
  
"It won't be too hard," added Lector, haughtily. "From what I hear, the CEO has vanished off of the face of the planet."  
  
"Grrrr," growled Drake. "You leave dad out of this!"  
  
"I hope you said 'good-bye' to him," responded Nesbit. "Because you are never going to see him again, once we win this duel and leave your minds trapped her forever!"  
  
"You'd never be able to beat us!" Lara said, cutting off Drake's insult. "You failed at business, and you'll fail at dueling."  
  
"It's going to be fun putting you in your place," said Lector. "So let's begin this!"  
  
"Yes, let's!" agreed Drake. They all activated their duel disks.  
  
"You'll be playing by our rules now, and you have to select a whole new deck!" said Nesbit. The virtual card database appeared in front of Lara and Drake.  
  
"What the?!" gasped Lara.  
  
"Simply touch a card and it will be added to your deck," explained Lector, in a tone one would use on a child. Drake and Lara shared a look, then quickly began reassembling their decks as fast as they could.  
  
"I have a good feeling about this," said Drake with a smile as his new deck appeared in his duel disk. "Let's go! The sooner we start this, the sooner you two freaks can lose!"  
  
"Haven't you forgotten something?" asked Lector. "According to our rules, you still have to pick a Deckmaster."  
  
"Big deal," shrugged Drake. He picked up his deck and flipped through it. "This is a no-brainer. I chose Lord of Dragons!" His monster appeared behind him. The Lord of Dragons was a humanoid monster, but its bone-lined armor was so thick it was hard to tell.  
  
Lara was having a bit harder time picking. "Any of my monsters would do a good job as a Deckmaster," she thought. Then she came across her Dark Magician Girl. "Dia! Of course!" As she began to pull her Dark Magician Girl out, her Witch's Apprentice fell out and floated to the ground. The card sprang to life and a hologram of her appeared. The Witch's Apprentice had flaming red hair, tiny dove wings, and a blue robe. A broom rested casually in her right hand.  
  
"That's your Deckmaster?" asked Drake, a bit surprised.  
  
"Well....I wanted my Dark Magician Girl," said Lara, holding her favorite card between her fingers.  
  
"Too late!" laughed Nesbit and Lector.  
  
"Rules state that once a Deckmaster is chosen it can't be changed," said Nesbit.  
  
"Fine. She'll make a fine Deckmaster," said Lara, confidently. The Witch's Apprentice beamed.  
  
"Since we have taken the forms of monsters, we will be both the duelists and the Deckmasters," said Nesbit.  
  
"Now, ladies first," said Lector. "You two had better be familiar with the rules of a double duel."  
  
"Of course!" snapped Drake. "My dad did invent this game after all!"  
  
"Drake, calm down," said Lara. "We'll prove it to them in this duel." She drew her opening hand. "Hmmm...I play one monster and one magic card face down."  
  
"I will go next," volunteered Nesbit. "And I will also play one monster face down and end my turn."  
  
"Then I play Spirit Ryu in attack mode," announced Drake. His first monster appeared directly in front of him. It was a pale blue, almost translucent. Its attack and defense were equal at 1000.  
  
"Now it's my turn," announced Lector. "I will also play one monster face down. Then I activate Solemn Wishes, which will give me 500 life points for ever card I draw."  
  
"Okay, the first round's over," said Lara. "Now I can attack! But first, I'm going to tribute my face down monster for Dark Magician Girl!" Her favorite monster appeared in place of the face down card hologram. The Dark Magician Girl twirled her staff and smiled. Her attack was 2000, since there was no Dark Magicians in the graveyard. "Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack Lector's face down monster!" She nodded, raised her staff, and blasted the card.  
  
It flipped over long enough to reveal Dreamsprite. That monster could normally be a pain to try to eliminate, because her special ability allowed her to redirect incoming attacks to another monster. But since Lector didn't have any other monsters, the Dreamsprite was destroyed.  
  
"Now you have no monster protecting your life points," said Lara to Lector. "And you are wide open for a direct attack!"  
  
"However, it is now my turn!" interrupted Nesbit. "I will also tribute my face down monster and summon the unstoppable Machine King!" A monster that strongly resembled the Robotic Knight appeared. This one was taller though, and had a circular chest and barrel like arms. Its attack was 2200, but it gained 100 attack points for every machine type monster on the field, including itself, which brought it to 2300 attack points.  
  
"Before I attack, I will activate my Deckmaster's special ability," said Nesbit.  
  
"This doesn't sound good," muttered Drake.  
  
"By discarding one machine type monster from my hand to the graveyard I can hit you both with 500 direct damage!" he yelled. He slid one card into his graveyard. "Activate Final Artillery!" As he said that hidden compartments opened on his chest and launched missiles, which hit the other two duelists. They both cried out in pain as their life points dropped to 3500.  
  
"Lara! Are you okay?!" called Drake.  
  
"I've been better," she muttered. "And you honey?"  
  
"I'll be fine once I take these tin cans to the scrap yard!" he growled.  
  
"You have always talked big Pegasus," said Nesbit. "But you are about to experience the true power and superiority of us machines. And what better way to show you then my attacking your girlfriend? Now, Machine King, attack the Dark Magician Girl!" The Machine King turned and opened fire on the spellcaster.  
  
"You've overlooked my face down card!" said Lara. "I activate Negate Attack!" A transparent barrier formed in front of her monster, deleting the attack.  
  
"You'll find we won't be so easy to beat," said Drake with a smirk. "That's because we know what teamwork really is! You corporate scum wouldn't know loyalty if your lives depended on it."  
  
"You had better watch your words, before we make you swallow them!" snapped Lector.  
  
"Swallow this!" said Drake as he started his turn. He put Monster Reborn on the field face down. "First I play this. Then I will activate Spirit Ryu's special ability! By discarding one dragon type monster from my hand, I can increase Spirit Ryu's attack and defense by 1000 points for this turn!" His monster growled viciously as its stats were both raised to 2000. "The monster I am going to discard is my Tyrant Dragon." He slid his prized card into the graveyard.  
  
Lector and Nesbit laughed. "You are discarding something that powerful? You certainly can't be half the duelist you claim to be!" laughed Lector.  
  
"That is yet another reason why machines are superior to creatures of flesh and blood," said Nesbit. "You can program machines, and they will act according to their programming. They cannot go insane, like you have!"  
  
"Laugh now," said Drake. "Because you won't be laughing when I'm done! Lector, you have no defense! Prepare for a direct attack from my Spirit Ryu! GO!" His monster took flight, blasting a powerful beam at Jinzo. Jinzo gasped and slid back a couple of feet as his life points were cut in half.  
  
"Yes! Way to go Drake!" cheered Lara. "We'll have them beaten by the end of our next turn!"  
  
"It's not over yet!" growled Lector, straightening himself up.  
  
"Your right," said Drake. "My turn is not over. I will now activate my magic card, Monster Reborn, to bring my Tyrant Dragon back from the graveyard. The Tyrant Dragon requires one tribute to do so, but it is better than the two tributes it would require for a normal summoning! So, I will tribute my Spirit Ryu to revive my Tyrant Dragon!" The holograms showed his favorite dragon rising out of the ground. It was huge, nearly as large as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The Tyrant Dragon was black, but it seemed to be glowing like magma. It looked like the dragon from European myths, except it was much more vicious than anyone ever depicted. Its attack was 2900 and its defense was 2500.  
  
"To make things even worse for you two, I will reveal my face down card, Dragon's Rage!" announced Drake. "This card let's me do damage to you even if your monsters are in defense mode!"  
  
"I think not!" yelled Lector. "You are forgetting my Deckmaster's special ability. As Jinzo, none of your trap cards will work!"  
  
"Dang..." muttered Lara.  
  
Drake glared at him. "Since my battle phase is over, I will end my turn now.  
  
"Before my turn starts, Solemn Wishes will give my 500 life points as I draw my next card," said Lector as his life points went up to 2500. "Then I play one monster card face down in defense mode, and one magic card face down as well. That ends my turn."  
  
"How exciting," sighed Lara.  
  
"Oh? And you can do better?" asked Nesbit. "Your Dark Magician Girl will fall to my Machine King next turn!"  
  
Lara bit her lip and drew her next card. "That's if you can find her! I play Magical Hats!" Four top hats appeared on the field in front of her. One covered her monster. Then they shuffled around, so it was impossible to say which one the Dark Magician Girl was hiding under.  
  
"A common human trick," said Nesbit. "It is cowardice. Us machines know no fear." Lector rolled his eyes.  
  
"Let's see if your robotic brain is any good at guessing!" snapped Lara.  
  
"Before I wipe out your monster, I will play Clockwork Knight!" announced Nesbit. "This magic card turns all the monsters on the field into machine types!" The monsters on the field all became robots, with robot plates and wiring.  
  
"Oh no....this is bad," groaned Drake, who's whole deck had been dependant on his dragon type monsters.  
  
"There are four monsters on the field, that means my Machine King now has an attack of 2600!" declared Nesbit. "Now to finish off your Dark Magician Girl. Machine King, attack the second hat on the left!" The Machine King once again opened fired, but when the dust cleared, the hat turned out to be empty.  
  
"It appears machines aren't very good guessers," said Lara.  
  
"First, I place one card face down. Now, you will learn you're place human!" snapped Nesbit. "Because I will activate my Deckmaster's special ability again!"  
  
"Great..." groaned Drake and Lara.  
  
"This time, I will discard two machine type monsters from my hand to activate Final Artillery!" The couple once again gasped in pain as the missiles exploded around them. Their life points dropped to 2500. "Give up now, because your bodies will be ours!"  
  
"Never!" growled Lara.  
  
"You haven't won this yet!" added Drake.  
  
"You do not know what power you are dealing with boy!" snapped Lector. "You could save yourselves a lot of pain by giving up now!"  
  
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" growled Drake. "But it's my turn now, and my Tyrant Dragon can attack!" He drew his next card. "I play Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress in attack mode!" His blue dragon appeared next to his Tyrant Dragon. It seemed like a dwarf in comparison. It's stats were 1400 and 1200. "Now, tinhead, say good-bye to your 'unstoppable' Machine King! Tyrant Dragon, blast it!" The Tyrant Dragon bellowed and spread its wings. In a huge burst of fire it melted the Machine King. Nesbit was down to 3800 life points, because of the increased attack of his monster.  
  
"And now you are open to a direct attack!" added Drake. "Winged Dragon, attack his life points!" The Winged Dragon growled and blasted one single hot fireball at Nesbit. He jerked as his armor became smoldering hot. His life points dropped to 2400.  
  
"You aren't going to get our bodies!" snapped Drake. "And according to your own rules, you will be the ones trapped here forever when we win!"  
  
"It's nothing short of what you deserve, too!" added Lara.  
  
"If you are done with your speech, I am going to begin," said Lector, annoyance in his tone. "First, Solemn Wishes will give me 500 more life points, taking me up to 3000. Then I activate Life Absorbing Machine, which will recover any life points I lose this turn at the start of my next turn."  
  
"That's assuming you have a next turn," said Lara. Lector ignored her.  
  
"Then I play Injection Fairy Lily!" he announced. A red-haired fairy in a nurse's outfit appeared in front of him. She held a shot that was almost as long as she was, although she was a rather petite monster to begin with. Her attack was a mere 400 points.  
  
"This monster will be your end!" exclaimed Lector.  
  
"That puny thing?" asked Drake, skeptically.  
  
"Yes," said Lector. "She will beat you, your pathetic monsters, and your pathetic Deckmasters. Then we will escape this nightmare in your bodies!"  
  
"You have a weird definition of pathetic," said Lara.  
  
"Just watch! Lily, attack the Tyrant Dragon!" ordered Lector. Lily smiled, and sat on her syringe, which went flying towards the dragon. There was a large explosion.  
  
"As if that would work," muttered Drake. The smoke cleared. "What the?!" His dragon was gone, and Lily remained standing. The life points on his duel disk showed he was at 2000.  
  
"That's Lily's special ability," said Lector. "I can give 2000 of my life points to her attack points!" His life points were now down to 1000.  
  
"No way!" gasped Drake, who was still stunned. "I can't believe that puny thing took out Tyrant Dragon!"  
  
"Believe it, because things are going to get a lot worse for you," said Lector, rather arrogantly. "Then I play three magic cards, and activate one of the them. I activate Time Seal, which will prevent your girlfriend from drawing a card at the start of her next turn!"  
  
"Big deal," glared Lara. "I still have enough skill to take you down, baldy."  
  
"Oh?" asked Lector. "Then show me."  
  
"Fine," said Lara. "I summon Darkfire Dragon to the field." Her newest monster was a serpentine dragon composed solely of flames. Its attack was 1500 and its defense was 1250. "Now, I will reveal my Dark Magician Girl!" Her Magical Hats faded, showing her favorite monster, standing poised to attack. "You see Lector, you aren't the only one I can attack, and Nesbit had no monster left on the field!"  
  
"You wouldn't!" stammered Nesbit.  
  
"Oh yes I would!" said Lara. "Dark Magician Girl, direct attack!" The Dark Magician Girl smiled and raised her staff again. A dark wave of magic shot out.  
  
"Ha! Now I activate Recycling Plant which will revive my Machine King!" laughed Nesbit.  
  
"Oh no!" cried Lara. It was too late to call off her attack. Her Dark Magician Girl's attack was reflected back by the stronger monster. Lara's monster broke apart. Lara's life points dropped to 1700, because the Machine King had an attack of 2800, thanks to Clockwork Knight and all the monsters in play.  
  
"Lara!" gasped Drake.  
  
"I'm fine. We can still win this," she said.  
  
"It's going to be hard," thought Drake. "Half of my magic cards are useless, because my monsters are no longer dragons. I can't even use my Deckmaster's special ability! And thanks to Jinzo, we can't use our trap cards!"  
  
"Then I will play Block Attack," said Lara. "This will force my Darkfire Dragon from attack mode to defense!"  
  
"Good move," complimented Drake. "We cannot let them win this!" Lara nodded.  
  
"You are doing nothing more than stalling," said Lector. "And your time is running out!"  
  
"Yes," agreed Nesbit. "And we will finally be free! I hope you enjoy the scenery here, because you are going to be here a very long time! Now, Machine King, attack the Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress!"  
  
"No!" gasped Drake as his monster broke into data and disappeared from the duel. Drake's life points stopped at a slim 700.  
  
"It appears we do know more about dueling than the son of the man who invented the game!" said Nesbit. "Now, to hurry things along, I will activate my Deckmaster's special ability again!"  
  
"Oh no!" they groaned. But it could not be stopped. The missiles once more exploded. Lara had 1200 life points, and Drake only had 200. Lara was sweating, but Drake had slid to the ground in pain. There were severe physical consequences form dueling in the Virtual World.  
  
"Drake! Drake! Are you okay?!" called Lara, concern rising in her voice.  
  
"I'm...fine..." he stammered as he struggled to his feet.  
  
"Don't hurt them too badly," said Lector to Nesbit. "After all, we do need their bodies when we win."  
  
"Of course," agreed Nesbit. This earned them glares.  
  
"My turn," said Drake, who was breathing heavy. "I use Mystical Space Typhoon on your Clockwork Knight! Say good-bye to your Machine King's power-up!"  
  
"Why don't you say good-bye to your Mystical Space Typhoon!" countered Lector. "I activate Imperial Order, which, for 700 life points, prevents you from using any magic cards!" The lowered his life points to 300, but he didn't seem too worried.  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Lara. "Now we can't use magic or trap cards, and our monsters are just helping Machine King!"  
  
"You've lost already!" said Nesbit. "You're bodies are ours. I think the first thing I'll do to Industrial Illusions is improve its technical output. No one cares about cards, the real money is in computers and machines!"  
  
"You aren't going anywhere!" snapped Drake. "I am not going to let you escape!"  
  
"You have no choice!" countered Lector.  
  
"You have to win this first," growled Drake. "I play one monster face down. That ends my turn."  
  
"A pathetic move from a duelist who had no other options!" said Lector. "Now, thanks to my magic cards, my life points are now 3000, but I will pay 700 of them to keep Imperial Order in play. Then I will tribute my face down monster and summon Satellite Cannon!" There was a loud explosion, then something shot high into the sky.  
  
"Satellite Cannon?" asked Lara. "I don't see it."  
  
"That's because it is in orbit high above us right now!" laughed Lector. "And I doubt you have anything that can attack it all the way up there!"  
  
"There has to be a way..." muttered Lara, but she was beginning to feel discouraged. Her Deckmaster put a hand on her shoulder for comfort.  
  
"You don't stand a chance!" said Lector. "And now I will reveal the power of my Satellite Cannon!"  
  
The next thing Lara knew her Darkfire Dragon exploded, leaving nothing but a charred black circle in front of her. She screamed and jumped back in surprise.  
  
"Lara!" exclaimed Drake.  
  
"I'm....fine, just shaken," she answered, and she sounded like it.  
  
"What hit you?" asked Drake, looking around.  
  
"That's the power of my Satellite Cannon," said Lector, smugly. Drake and Lara shared a wary look.  
  
"My turn," said Lara. She drew a card and evaluated the situation. There seemed like so little she could do, with no magic or trap cards, as well as no monsters that could attack the Satellite Cannon. "What am I going to do?" she thought. "I need to somehow regain full control of all my cards."  
  
"I can help," whispered the Witch's Apprentice in her ear.  
  
Lara jumped a bit. "How?"  
  
"If you discard one trap or magic card from your hand, I can destroy one trap or magic card on the field," the Duel Monster answered.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" asked Lara. Then, louder, "I will discard one card and activate my Deckmaster's special ability!"  
  
"What?!" gasped Nesbit.  
  
"Now, my Witch's Apprentice will destroy Imperial Order!" declared Lara.  
  
"No!" yelled Lector. "This...!"  
  
"Now, we can use magic cards again, Drake!" cheered Lara.  
  
"Yes! I knew you'd find a way," replied Drake. Both of them were beaming.  
  
"And now I can activate Monster Reborn, and bring back my Dark Magician Girl!" said Lara.  
  
"So?" asked Lector. "Your monster cannot reach my Satellite Cannon."  
  
"And it only makes Machine King 800 attack points stronger than your monster," added Nesbit.  
  
"Um..." stammered Lara.  
  
"Attack me!" said Drake through his teeth. Lara looked at him, surprised. The look they shared explained everything, though.  
  
"No sharing plots!" snapped Nesbit.  
  
Lara glared at him. "I chose to attack Drake's face down monster card!"  
  
Lector and Nesbit looked stunned.  
  
"It's a suicidal attack! She has given up!" laughed Lector as the Dark Magician Girl did as she was ordered.  
  
"Not quite!" exclaimed Drake. "Reveal Fiber Jar!"  
  
"Fiber Jar?" asked Nesbit.  
  
"Yes, Fiber Jar forces all of us to take all of our cards in our hands, graveyard, and on the field and shuffle them back into the decks!" said Drake. "So, no more Satellite Cannon, no more Machine King, and no more Clockwork Knight!"  
  
"Yes!" cheered Lara.  
  
"No!" cried the two members of the Big 5.  
  
"Now, we all have to draw a new hand," said Drake. They all did so.  
  
"My turn is not over yet," chimed Lara. "I will use the magic card Dark Magic Curtain, which lets me special summon my Dark Magician!" Her monster appeared in front of her, glaring at the now defenseless members of the Big 5. "Attack Nesbit!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Dark Magic Attack!"  
  
There was a huge wave of magic which blew Nesbit to atoms, screaming the entire time.  
  
"One down, one to go," smirked Drake. "And since Nesbit is gone, it's now my turn!"  
  
"You..." stammered Lector, but he couldn't say any more. He just gulped.  
  
Drake looked at the monsters in his hand. "I summon Grey Wing to the field! Then I will discard one card." His newest monster only had an attack of 1300, which was less than the life points Lector had remaining. Lector began to feel the faint stirrings of hope, but they were premature. "Direct attack, Grey Wing!" This brought Lector down to 1000 life points.  
  
"That means it is my turn now," said Lector.  
  
"Not quite!" said Drake. "I discarded one card, which allows me to activate Grey Wing's special ability, double attacks!"  
  
"Double Attacks?!"  
  
"It can attack twice in one turn, if I discard one card at the start of my turn!" said Drake with a broad smile. "Good-bye Lector! Grey Wing, attack!"  
  
"NOOOO!!!" Lector's screams faded into nothingness.  
  
"We did it!" cheered Lara. She ran over and embraced her beau. He hugged her back.  
  
"You know, I feel better now," he said. Lara nodded in agreement.  
  
A door materialized in front of them.  
  
"I bet this is the way out!" exclaimed Lara.  
  
"What makes you say that?" asked Drake.  
  
"Well, we won our duel, so according to the rules, we get to leave here in our own bodies," Lara answered.  
  
"You're right!" agreed Drake with a smile. "Let's go." He put a hand on the doorknob and opened it.  
  
**************************************************************************** ** 


	5. Take Two

"You failed!" snapped Noah. The Big 5 cowered. He had summoned them all into a completely empty area of the virtual world. There was nothing but blackness here, save the light the seemed to spotlight the six figures.  
  
"Please Noah!" begged Johnson. "Give us another chance."  
  
"You have thoroughly humiliated me by losing to those punks!" Noah yelled, causing them all to shudder.  
  
"But Noah!" stammered Gamesly. "We haven't dueled them all yet! Give us another chance! Please!"  
  
"We will win this time!" added Crum. "The odds are in our favor! The remaining duelists are the weakest!"  
  
"Why should I?" asked Noah.  
  
"Because nothing has been done about Seto Kaiba," said Lector. "And we all want revenge against him!"  
  
"We have too much at stake to lose!" added Nesbit. "We will not underestimate them again!"  
  
"We won't let them win because they have humiliated us as well," said Johnson. "Please sir, give us another chance to prove ourselves!"  
  
"Very well!" snapped Noah. "And I expect better results! This lot looks like they can hardly duel their way out of a paper bag with scissors!"  
  
"We will crush them!" exclaimed Lector.  
  
"I'm expecting it!" said Noah.  
  
"Thank you!" the Big 5 exclaimed, then vanished.  
  
However, Noah stopped two of them. "Johnson! Crum!"  
  
"What is it sir?" they asked.  
  
"I want you two to take on the next target," said Noah.  
  
"We will not fail," said Johnson. "Who is the defendant?"  
  
Noah brought up a screen, one of many that he had been using to spy on the duelists. It stopped randomly showing scenes and focused on one person. "Her. I want you to defeat this duelist."  
  
"Are you sure you really need both of us?" asked Johnson.  
  
"Yes, I will not tolerate any more losses from you five," replied Noah, shortly. "She thinks she can avoid my rules by sitting there, well, I'm going to show her. Now go!"  
  
"Right!" they said and disappeared.  
  
Noah looked at the screen and grinned. "You are going to play a key roll in my plans, whether you want to or not!"  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Shayla still had not moved from her place in the meadow. Everything seemed peaceful enough there, but she refused to relax. She kept reminding herself that this was all an illusion, and that there were six people out there who wanted to cause them trouble. However, being still like that gives one a lot of time to think, and she was beginning to wonder where her plan would lead.  
  
"What is going to happen if I stay here any longer?" she asked herself. "I have a feeling that someone is bound to show up...But if they don't, then what? Then again, do I have any better options? Roaming a strange virtual video game is hardly a smart move, especially considering what can be out there...But it's not like any of this is real in the first place. These situations keep getting more and more bizarre. I do know one thing though, I am not going to let Noah toy with me. I am not going to play his game, even though I have no idea why he even wants to bother us in the first place."  
  
"She seems so exciting, doesn't she," said a voice from behind her. "This duel should be easy." Shayla tensed. These weren't the ones she wanted to show up.  
  
"Of course," answered a second person. "I've calculated every possible aspect of our duel, and there is no way we can lose." This speaker put a hand, or more appropriately wing, on her shoulder. Shayla screamed, jumped and wheeled around to face them, nerves on end. Johnson and Crum laughed.  
  
They had already taken on the forms of Duel Monsters. The first speaker was a humanoid monster with short, stiff white hair. He wore a long violet cape and matching armor with golden trim. Despite this he looked like a barbarian that had been put into elegant armor. The creature next to him was much short; a blue-violet penguin complete in tux and top hat.  
  
"What do you want with me?!" she demanded.  
  
"Your body of course," answered Crum. Shayla shuddered.  
  
"Buzz off!" she snapped. "I'm not dueling you!"  
  
"You have no choice," replied Johnson. "You have been subpoenaed as a witness in this trial. And besides, it is a very poor defense when the defendant refuses to take the stand."  
  
"Oh great...a lawyer," groaned Shayla.  
  
"The name is Johnson, former head legal advisor for Kaiba Corp.," said Johnson.  
  
"And I'm Crum, former chief accountant for Kaiba Corp.," added Crum.  
  
"And I am not dueling you," retorted Shayla.  
  
"I think you will," said Johnson. "We can be very convincing."  
  
"Let's see..." said Crum, papers materializing in his wing-like hands. "No registered name, except under the Battle City tournament, were you registered as Shayla, no last name. Height 5' 9", shoe size 9..."  
  
"What kind of freak are you?!" interrupted Shayla, who was getting more unnerved by the second. She was beginning to wish she had found some of the others instead of facing these two alone.  
  
"I'm not a freak, I'm a penguin!" protested Crum, indignant.  
  
"Penguin?" asked Shayla with a twitch. "You did not just say penguin."  
  
"Yes I did! Is there a problem with that!?" demanded Crum.  
  
Shayla didn't answer him. She just put a hand to her face and shook her head. "This cannot be happening."  
  
"Enough with the formalities," said Johnson. "This court is now in session!"  
  
"Are you deaf? I'm not dueling!" replied Shayla.  
  
"If you don't duel, you forfeit your body," replied Johnson.  
  
"What?! You can't do that!" protested Shayla. "You can't bully me into dueling you!!!"  
  
"If the defendant does not wish to plead her case, then the prosecution will rest so the verdict can be delivered," said Johnson with a sly smile.  
  
"Pity there's only one body for us to take," said Crum. "Penguins first!"  
  
"Stay away from me!" Shayla shrieked.  
  
"That's no way to treat a lady," a new voice said.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Johnson to the newcomer. "And how did you get here? Noah said we were not going to be disturbed!"  
  
Shayla recognized the voice, although she was completely stunned that she did. "Rudy?!"  
  
"Yup," answered the dark-haired boy. He wore a white tank top and baggy jean shorts. He seemed completely calm, unlike Shayla, who was as far on edge as she could get. (AN/ Rudy belongs to Master of Dimensions, not me.)  
  
"How did you get here?!" demanded Johnson and Crum.  
  
"How else?" asked Rudy. "I hacked my way in."  
  
"You hacked your way in here?" repeated Shayla. "Why do you want to be here?!"  
  
"To help you," he answered. Shayla went quiet, not having an answer for that.  
  
"I may have a stalker," she thought. "Either that or a superhero or guardian angel, since he always shows up when I'm in trouble...and I thought this day couldn't get any weirder."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Noah was very busy at his command central, frantically pressing the buttons that control his virtual world. But he wasn't having much luck. "How can this be?! How is it possible for someone to override me within my own world?!" He continued to try to break through the hacking, but he had been locked out of the whole area.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"We are a little busy here!" Crum snapped at Rudy. "We have a duel to win!"  
  
"Two on one hardly seems fair to me," replied Rudy, a duel disk forming on his arm. "So I'm going to make it two on two."  
  
"But..." stammered Shayla.  
  
"On what grounds should we let you duel?" asked Johnson.  
  
"Because I will agree to your stakes," said Rudy. "You win, you get my body too. But you won't win."  
  
"Are you crazy?!" yelled Shayla.  
  
"Don't worry," replied Rudy. "You should be more confident in your own skills as well." Shayla once again stammered as his words rang true.  
  
Crum and Johnson exchanged looks. "Deal."  
  
"I don't care how you got here, but you will be playing by our rules," said Johnson.  
  
"Fair enough," agreed Rudy. Then he smiled, "But I expect you to play by your own rules too." Johnson glared at him. Rudy once again smiled. "I know how you like to play. But you won't be able to cheat Shayla."  
  
"You'd try to cheat me!?" exclaimed Shayla.  
  
"You know he'd never get away with it," answered Rudy. Shayla was beginning to wonder how much he really knew, especially about the Millennial Items and her scales.  
  
"Let's begin this already!" exclaimed Crum. "Your decks are void here, so you have to select new decks for our card database." Rows of cards formed in front of Shayla and Rudy. Rudy calmly began to select his cards.  
  
"How do you expect me to do that?" asked Shayla, tersely.  
  
"Well...um," stammered Johnson. They hadn't expected there to be problems.  
  
"If you don't mind, I'll chose her deck for her," volunteered Rudy.  
  
"Go right on ahead," said Crum with a smirk. He and Johnson both knew that it would be easier for them to win if one of their opponent's didn't even know what cards were in her deck. A second card database appeared next to the first one that was in front of Rudy.  
  
"Um...Rudy..." stammered Shayla.  
  
"Trust me," answered Rudy as he finished selecting both their decks. Shayla felt the duel disk on her arm grow heavier as her new deck teleported in place.  
  
"Before we begin, you two must select your Deckmasters," said Johnson. "Since we have taken the form of Duel Monsters, we will be acting as our own Deckmasters."  
  
"Judgeman and Nightmare Penguin, we can handle them," said Rudy. Shayla merely nodded, she seemed the most nervous about this duel.  
  
They both picked up their decks off of their duel disks and began to filter through them. Much to her own relief, her cards had Braille printed on them, so she could read them. Another thing that helped her relax was finding all her familiar monsters and magic cards in her deck. Rudy had almost recreated it perfectly, though there were some modifications. That puzzled her, because she wasn't as famous as Yu-Gi, Drake, or Kaiba, where her deck was all over the Internet. It seemed strange that someone would know her deck as well as herself.  
  
"My Cosmo Queen will be my Deckmaster," said Rudy, bring Shayla back to the task at hand. He held up his card and his Deckmaster appeared to the right just behind him. She wore an elegant dark violet robe with golden trim. Her skin with pale blue, and her hat was nearly three times as large as her head. One could tell by looking at her that she was powerful. It wasn't that she was muscular, but her very presences vibrated with power.  
  
"I know any of my monsters would serve me well," thought Shayla. "But it is hard to know was special abilities they will gain under these new rules. ... Well, no one can go wrong with her favorite..."  
  
"I chose my Mystical Sand!" announced Shayla. Her favorite monster appeared behind her. The Mystical Sand had hair like seaweed and wore a simple scarlet witch's robe with matching pointed hat. She sat on a broom which hovered off of the ground, right behind Shayla. She glared at the two opponents.  
  
"Those are your Deckmasters?" asked Johnson, with contempt.  
  
"They're the best ones here," replied Rudy, calmly.  
  
"Grrr! Enough talk!" snapped Crum. "Let's begin this!"  
  
"Fine with me," answered Rudy. "Ladies' first."  
  
"M-m-me?" stammered Shayla.  
  
"You'll be fine," said Rudy.  
  
Shayla nodded and drew her first card, starting the duel. She was still having her doubts, but there was nothing she could do with them. She examined her cards for a moment, considering her best option. She was not at all happy with the fact that she didn't know what the Deckmasters would do, so she decided to make a cautious opening first move.  
  
"I will play my Goddess with the 3rd Eye in defense mode," announced Shayla. Her monster wore a light green robe with bronze trim. She also had a small hat the same color of her trim. But what stood out the most about her was her namesake: a third eye on the middle of her forehead. Her stats were 1200 and 1000.  
  
"Penguins next!" exclaimed Crum, cutting off Johnson's comment. "I'll play my Flying Penguin in attack mode!" His first monster appeared. It looked like a normal penguin, if not slightly larger. There was one slight difference, and that was the two enormous eyebrows it had that functioned like wings. Its attack was 1200.  
  
"Since my Flying Penguin is a water type," said Crum, "I will use my Deckmaster's special ability."  
  
"Already?!" gasped Rudy.  
  
Crum smirked, "All water type monsters gain 200 attack points from me!" That meant that the Flying Penguin now had an attack of 1400. "But since we're playing tag team, I can't attack until everyone has had a turn."  
  
"My turn then," said Rudy, glaring at the penguins. He drew a card, the slid it into the magic slots on his duel disk. "I play this magic card, then I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman to the field!" Neo was a blond warrior with silver armor that had intricate designs engrained in it. His gloves were dark red, and occasionally his fingers sparked with magic power. A sword rested in one hand, ready to use at a moment's notice. His attack was 1700 and his defense was 1000.  
  
"Now for my argument," said Johnson. He sounded a bit bitter about being last. He looked at his cards and frowned. "I will play one monster card face down in defense mode, then one magic card. That ends my turn."  
  
Shayla sighed and was about to start her next turn when Crum spoke up. "It's too warm here! Let's make this place a little more penguin friendly!" Frost began to creep across the ground, freezing everything. It began to cumulate, quickly turning the meadow into the artic.  
  
"What are you thinking?!" demanded Johnson. "This frozen wasteland is hardly the proper place for a trial to take place!" As he finished speaking, the ice vanished and walls began to form, creating a courtroom; complete with judge's stand, jury box, and benches.  
  
"We penguins don't like it inside!" snapped Crum as the land began to freeze again.  
  
"You are out of line!" yelled Johnson. "One more outburst and I will have you thrown out of my court!" Rudy crossed his arms and watched their banter with a smug smile. It was clear that they were amusing him. Shayla on the other hand looked like she was getting a headache.  
  
"Artic!"  
  
"Court!"  
  
"Artic!"  
  
"Court!"  
  
The land kept changing half way as they each yelled. They were glaring each other down venomously.  
  
Shayla sighed and placed a card in one of her magic slots. "Forest!" The land stopped being torn between the artic and a courtroom. Instead, tress grew high and thick and lush. A few animal calls could be heard. Gentle sunlight filtered though the leaves. The two members of the Big 5 stopped arguing and looked around surprised.  
  
"What did you do?!" snapped Crum.  
  
"I started my turn and played the magic card Forest," replied Shayla. "That makes this field a forest and ends you two's stupid argument! It also powers up forest creatures, like my Nekogal!" As she said that she placed another card on her duel disk. Her newest monster appeared next to her goddess in attack mode. She had orange hair that was half hidden under a point forest green hat. The main part of her outfit was also forest green, but her boots and gloves were orange. She had two pointy cat ears, sharp claws, and tiny gossamer wings which were practically unnoticeable. This was Nekogal #1, and her stats were 1100 and 900, but thanks to Forest they were 1600 and 1400.  
  
"This is not the place for penguins," muttered Crum.  
  
"My turn isn't over yet," said Shayla. "It's been one full round, so I can attack now! Nekogal, attack the Flying Penguin, Pussy Cat Scratch!" The Nekogal darted forward with cat-like speed and slashed at the Flying Penguin so fast her claws couldn't be seen. The Flying Penguin squawked and disappeared, leaving only a few black feathers. This brought Crum down to 3800 life points.  
  
"I play one magic card, and that will end my turn," said Shayla as he Nekogal returned to her place.  
  
"I knew you'd do fine," said Rudy. "You just need to be more confident in yourself." He could see that she was still a little tense.  
  
"Consider your luck over!" snapped Crum. "The odds are in our favor for this duel! And that means both of your bodies will be ours and we will escape to the real world at last!"  
  
"Yeah, right," retorted Rudy.  
  
"This game is all about numbers, so watch closely!" continued Crum. "I now summon my Giant Red Sea Snake!" His monster was the largest one yet this duel. Like the name says, it was long and red, with thin green rings. Its attack was 1800. "And it is a water type too, so it gains 200 attack points from my Deckmaster's special ability!" This brought the snake up to 2000.  
  
"Now wise guy," said Crum, "say good-bye to your swordsman! Sea snake, attack! Crush him!"  
  
The snake shot forward and wrapped Neo in its coils. It kept squeezing until Neo broke into digital pieces. This brought Rudy down to 3700 life points.  
  
"My turn is far from done," continued Crum. "Then I will activate Penguin Torpedo!" A small creature appeared in front of him. It was penguin shaped, pale blue, but a torpedo nonetheless. "This lets me attack one of you directly for 550 damage! But that becomes 750 thanks to my special ability! Now Penguin Torpedo, attack the blind girl!"  
  
The Penguin Torpedo shot forward, aiming at Shayla. It went through the gap between her monsters and exploded in front of her, taking her down to 3250. Shayla, however, slid to the ground with a hand across her chest.  
  
"That...hurt!" she gasped. She was completely stunned. This whole world was an illusion, how could it hurt?  
  
Johnson and Crum laughed. "You're playing in our world. You've never dueled like this before," laughed Johnson.  
  
"Shayla? Are you okay?" asked Rudy.  
  
"It's...not...supposed...to hurt," she gasped. One of her hopes had been reminding herself that this was all a trick. She hadn't been prepared for this.  
  
"I told you the odds were in our favor," said Crum. "The girl has never dealt with duels this real before. She can't handle this!" He half squawked, half laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, the duel is only beginning. You can win," said a female voice quietly. Shayla had no idea who said it, but the speaker was right.  
  
Shayla struggled to her feet. She wasn't ready to give up yet, even though she was still a bit wary, "Clearly you have never dueled in the Shadow Realm."  
  
"The defendant is speaking nonsense!" exclaimed Johnson.  
  
"Oh, save it!" snapped Rudy. "No one here cares for your legal jargon anyways! Now..." He reached to draw his next card.  
  
"Wait, my turn's not done!" exclaimed Crum. "I play one magic card, now my turn is done."  
  
"Fine. I play my Beast King of the Swamps in defense mode," announced Rudy. His monster appeared on his empty side of the field. It was a muddy green monster that seemed to ooze. It actually seemed like an extension of the swamp itself. Its stats were 1000 and 1200. "That's all for me."  
  
"Then I summon Curtain of the Dark Ones in defense mode!" said Johnson as his turn started. His monster appeared next to his face down one. The Curtain of the Dark Ones was a black cape with skeleton hands and arms coming out from under it. "Then I will activate my magic card, Polymerization...."  
  
"No you won't!" exclaimed Shayla. "Because I activate Magic Jammer! If I discard one card from my hand, I can stop the effect of your magic card!"  
  
"Not so fast!" countered Crum. "I activate Cold Wave, which freezes you from using any magic or trap cards until your next turn!"  
  
"That makes your Magic Jammer void," said Johnson. "And I can still use Polymerization, fusing my two monsters together to create Kamion Wizard!" A dark warrior bearing a scythe appeared. Its armor was black, but its cape was blood red. Its face was hidden behind a black mask. Its attack was 1300.  
  
"Next, I play Sinister Justice," continued Johnson. "By paying 800 life points, my fusion monster will be able to attack this turn." This brought him down to 3200 life points. "Then, I will activate Leading Question, which will give 800 points to any fusion monster. Now, Kamion Wizard, attack the Goddess with the Third Eye!" The Kamion Wizard jumped into the air, scythe raised. It cut the Goddess with the Third Eye from top to bottom and she disappeared into fragments. Lucky for Shayla, her monster was in defense mode so she felt nothing from the attack.  
  
"I will play one magic card and rest my case now," said Johnson. He smirked as he slid the card into an open slot.  
  
"You must destroy that card," said the female voice from behind Shayla again.  
  
"Who are you?" whispered Shayla, half wondering if she was hearing voices.  
  
"You know me," the speaker replied, placing a hand on Shayla's shoulder.  
  
Shayla looked surprised as the truth dawned on her. "M-Mystical Sand?" Her Deckmaster squeezed her shoulder in affirmation. "You talk now?!" Another positive squeeze.  
  
"You must destroy that card," said the Mystical Sand.  
  
"How can I do that?" asked Shayla, knowing the cards in her hand wouldn't help.  
  
"My special ability," said the Duel Monster. "I can create a sandstorm that will destroy any one random card on the field."  
  
"If it's random how will we get the card we need?" asked Shayla. "We might even take out our own card!"  
  
"Trust me," said the Mystical Sand. "I have not failed you before and I will not now."  
  
Shayla nodded. "I will now activate my Deckmaster's special ability, Sandstorm!" The Mystical Sand smiled and held out her arms. Sand began to whip through the forest, eliminating it. The duelists all shielded themselves as the vicious winds tore at them and their cards. Even the Duel Monsters seemed to cringe. The card in front of Johnson broke lose and disappeared into the wind.  
  
"That was cruel!" squawked Crum. "Us penguins hate sand! We love snow!"  
  
"Impressive," coughed Rudy, who was also spitting sand.  
  
Johnson was glaring daggers at her for destroying a key part of his strategy. Shayla didn't notice though.  
  
"It worked," said the Mystical Sand. "Thanks for believing in me mistress."  
  
Shayla nodded slightly and drew her next card, sand falling from her curls. "I play one monster face down in defense mode," she declared as she placed her Dancing Fairy on her duel disk. "Then I move my Nekogal to defense mode. I will also set one magic card and end my turn." Shayla knew she didn't have any monster strong enough to take out the Giant Red Sea Snake, and she wasn't about to go through more pain.  
  
"She's hiding!" laughed Crum. "We will win this and escape this nightmare!"  
  
"You won't go anywhere penguin!" said Rudy, although he practically spat the last word out.  
  
"Watch me!" exclaimed Crum. "I will have my snake attack your girl's face down monster!" With that his monster crushed the life out her face down fairies. "Then, activate Ocean of Regeneration! This will let me bring back my Penguin Torpedo from the graveyard!"  
  
"Oh no," groaned Shayla, who was still sore from the last explosion.  
  
"So you haven't forgotten it?" said Crum smugly. "Well, here it goes again, attack Penguin Torpedo!" The torpedo shot forward and exploded point blank and Shayla. She cried out, but managed to stay standing this time, even though it was clear she was in pain. Her life points dropped to 2500.  
  
"Leave her alone, okay!" exclaimed Rudy. He glared at the Big 5. "I play Tainted Wisdom!" His newest monster was a brown brain with weird growths on it. "Then, using my Beast King of the Swamp's special ability, I will fuse them together with Polymerization and create Skull Knight!" His fusion monster was a knight with armor made of bones, carved to look like a skull. Even its shield was a skull. Other than that, it was as black as night. Skull Knight's stats are 2650 and 2250. "Then, I'll activate my Quick Attack magic card, allowing Skull Knight to attack this turn!" He smirked at Johnson. "Thanks to your Leading Question, Skull Knight gains 800 attack points too! Say good-bye to your Kamion Wizard, its dust! Attack Skull Knight with Blades of Bone!" The Skull Knight charged forward and sword met scythe. The scythe gave in and the Kamion Wizard broke into bits. This made Johnson's life points 1850.  
  
"My turn!" exclaimed Johnson. "And you will regret that, because now I activate my Deckmaster's special ability, Clear the Courtroom!"  
  
"Clear the Courtroom?" repeated Shayla.  
  
"Yes," said Johnson. "By paying 1000 life points, I can wipe the field you're your pathetic monsters, leaving you defendants wide open!" In a bright flash of light Shayla's Nekogal and Rudy's Skull Knight were gone. Johnson was down to a slim 850 life points.  
  
"This is not good," muttered Shayla.  
  
"Soon, this trial will be over and your bodies will be ours!" exclaimed Johnson. "Then I will call Hysteric Angel to the stand!" Shayla looked unhappy, because this was a monster she considered to be one of hers. Hysteric Angel wore a navy schoolgirl's uniform and had a book cradled under her arm. She wore a pair of thick glasses and had a pair of dove wings. Her stats were 1800 and 500.  
  
"Now, Hysterical Angel, attack Rudy, Frantic Beam!" ordered Johnson. The Hysteric Angel put her hands together and aimed a powerful blue beam at Rudy. It hit him directly in the chest and he gasped in pain.  
  
"Rudy!" called Shayla.  
  
"I'm fine," he replied with a slight groan.  
  
"Don't worry," said Shayla. "It's my turn now."  
  
"I'm glad to see you're more confident," said Rudy.  
  
"I'm still nervous," admitted Shayla.  
  
"You should realize by now that the verdict has already been decided upon," said Johnson. "Your bodies are ours!"  
  
"Not yet!" said Shayla. "It's my turn, and I play Amazon Archer in attack mode!" Shayla's newest monster formed in a flash of light. She was on the small side, but still vicious. Her pale blonde hair was cropped short. She wore a brown outfit that showed a lot of skin, as well as a black jacket with red trim. A long bow was clutched tightly in her hands. Her attack was 1400 and her defense was 1000.  
  
"I place one magic card, then I'll have her attack your Giant Red Sea Snake! Go Amazon Archer, Lethal Bow!" ordered Shayla.  
  
Crum laughed, "Your monster doesn't stand a chance!"  
  
"Watch as I activate Kunai with Chain!" declared Shayla. "That weakens your monster, will increasing the strength of my own!" Her Amazon Archer now had an attack of 1900. She fired an arrow at the sea snake. It writhed in pain and disappeared. Crum dropped to 3400 life points.  
  
"Now I set one magic card and end my turn," said Shayla, finding an open slot with her fingers.  
  
"For my next turn," said Crum as he drew a card, "I play my Penguin Soldier in defense mode!" His new penguin was small and violet in color, with red shoulder pad and a stubby sword. Its stats were 750 and 500. "Then I'll place two magic cards."  
  
"That puny thing won't help!" growled Johnson.  
  
"Never underestimate a penguin," said Crum. "I said this was a game of numbers. Well, one might be defeated easily, but not an army! I activate Shrink and Multiply! Shrink cuts Penguin Soldier's attack so Multiply can work. Now, stop a whole army of penguins!" He again squawk/laughed.  
  
"Since your monsters are in defense mode, it's my turn now," said Rudy. He drew a card, but it wasn't the one he was hoping for. "I play Reinforcements of the Army, which lets me select one level four monster or less from my deck and put it in my hand." He quickly flipped though his deck and selected a monster. "Then I will summon it. Reveal Earthbound Spirit!" His monster looked like a human skeleton that had been covered with mud and was being swallowed by the ground. Its defense was 2000.  
  
"It's my turn to take the stand," said Johnson. "I will play one monster face down, then activate Hysteric Angel's special ability. I will tribute both my monsters and raise my own life points by 1000!" This brought him up to 1850. "Then, I will use another Polymerization to fuse two monsters in my hand and create Dragoness the Wicked Knight!" His fusion monster wore a strange green and yellow armor and wielded two swords with curvy blades. A similar horned helmet hid much of its face. Its attack was 1200. But thanks to Leading Question still being in play, Dragoness could have 2000 attack points easily.  
  
"I cannot attack with my monster this turn, so I will set one magic card and step off of the stand," said Johnson.  
  
Shayla drew her next card without a word. It was Soul of Purity and Light. It was a very special card, but she could only summon it if she removed two Light monsters from her graveyard. And currently, she only had one. She put it in her hand and considered her other options.  
  
"I will tribute my Amazon Archer and summon my Empress Judge!" announced Shayla as she moved her monster cards into position. Her Empress Judge wore an elegant pale robe with golden trim and a red sash that matched her fiery hair. A golden tiara encircled her forehead. Her face had elegant violet markings on it. Her attack was 2100 and her defense 1700. She stood to her full height and glad at the Judgeman.  
  
"Since when has the servant of justice sunk to dealing with traitors?!" demanded the Empress Judge, eyeing daggers at Johnson.  
  
"I...um..." stammered Johnson, then his mood changed to anger. "How is this possible?! The program is not supposed to allow any monsters to talk outside the Deckmasters!" The Empress Judge continued to give him looks so dirty he shifted uncomfortably. "You, hacker! What did you do?!"  
  
"I did nothing," replied Rudy, calmly. "You brought this upon yourself."  
  
"Empress Judge," called Shayla, a bit hesitantly. Her monster nodded a hair. "Attack the wicked knight with Rough Justice!" The Empress Judge smiled, pointed a finger at Dragoness, and blew it to dust. Johnson felt the heat from the attack and jerked backwards. His life points were now at 1750. Rudy was barely better at 1900. Shayla was at 2500, and Crum had almost all of his still at 3400, because he was hiding behind his defenses and letting Johnson do most of the direct fighting.  
  
"We have to do something to take out all those penguins," thought Shayla. As if reading her thoughts, the Mystical Sand put a hand on her shoulder. Shayla nodded. "I will use my Deckmaster's special ability again."  
  
The Mystical Sand smiled and raised her arms, once again creating a violent sandstorm. Everyone braced themselves. A magic card in front of Johnson twitched, then was lost to the winds. Then the storm slowly came to a halt.  
  
"I'm sorry," whispered the Mystical Sand.  
  
"No, I'm sure you've helped us, even if it wasn't in the way we planned," said Shayla. Louder, she said, "I play one magic card and end my turn."  
  
"Finally you're done stalling!" exclaimed Crum. "But you will not change the odds! We will win!"  
  
"You talk way too much," retorted Rudy.  
  
"Try this!" snapped Crum. He turned to Shayla. "I activate Driving Snow, which will blow away your magic card!" Shayla ducked as a freezing gust of wind blew her magic card away. The ground was now spotted with piles of sand and snow. For the first time this duel, Crum looked comfortable with the atmosphere.  
  
"Now, I play one magic card face down. Then, I will activate my second Penguin Torpedo!" exclaimed Crum, eagerly. "You won't last much longer!" He placed the card on his duel disk and once again blasted Shayla. She cried out and slipped to the ground, breathing hard. Her life points fell to 1750.  
  
"I won't give up," she told herself. "But how can I go on when it hurts so much?"  
  
She felt the Mystical Sand place a hand on her shoulder again.  
  
"We believe in you," said the Duel Monster. "We will fight for you. Please do not give into pain. You must have faith in us and yourself."  
  
Shayla nodded and rose to shaky feet.  
  
"If you are done hiding behind your defenses and direct attack cards, I will take my turn," said Rudy, glaring icily at Crum. Rudy had his Earthbound Spirit in play, in defense mode, as well as one magic card. Shayla had her Empress Judge. Johnson's monsters had all been eliminated, but he still had Leading Question in play. Crum, however, had his Penguin Soldiers in play, and they were growing by the minute thanks to Multiply, as well as another face down card.  
  
Rudy drew a card and a sly smile spread across his lips. He looked at Crum and smirked. "I will now activate the magic card Mustard Firewall!"  
  
"Mustard what?" asked Johnson. "That is not a card! I will throw it out of the court!"  
  
"It is too a card!" exclaimed Rudy, holding it up for both of them to see. Shayla was sweat-dropping enormously.  
  
Crum was flipping out. "What?! No!!! It can't be!!! Anything but that!!!"  
  
Rudy continued to smile. "This card eliminates all penguins from the field! Say good-bye to your army!" He slid the card into his duel disk and bright yellow liquid covered the penguins, effectively melting them. Crum was squawking away the whole time.  
  
"I do not understand..." said Johnson.  
  
"Mustard is poison to penguins, please please please don't ask," said Shayla, shaking her head slightly.  
  
"How dare you?!" demanded Crum. "You have some nerve using that vile stuff! You will regret it!"  
  
"I doubt it," said Rudy, continuing to smirk. He pulled out a small paintball gun and aimed at Crum. "I am here also representing an elite group who are out to stop you foul birds! I am here to take you out, Penguin King! POF forever!"  
  
"They have an organization now?" asked Shayla, sweat-dropping even more.  
  
Rudy nodded. "Yup. We're going to save the world." He turned back to Crum. "Now die penguin scum!" He pulled the trigger and started firing mustard bullets at the former accountant.  
  
"ARRK! Help!" squawked Crum as he began to run.  
  
"Come back here!" demanded Rudy as he began chasing, still shooting.  
  
Shayla was back to burying her face in her free hand, and even Johnson was beginning to sweat-drop. Crum and Rudy's chase continued, doing laps around the dueling field. Rudy was laughing, and Crum was squawking as the bullets grazed him.  
  
"Order! Order in the court!" bellowed Johnson. "I will have order, or I will have the bailiff kick you out!" He glared at Crum. "We still need to win this duel so we can claim their bodies!"  
  
"Tell that to him!" squawked Crum, jumping as a bullet hit him in his lower backside.  
  
Rudy came to a stop as the paintball gun failed to produce any more bullets. "Dang it! Out of ammo!"  
  
"Again numbers are on my side!" exclaimed a winded Crum.  
  
"Just wait until reinforcements get here bird-boy," snapped Rudy, walking back to his section of the field like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  
  
"If you twp are done, I am ready to present my argument," said Johnson.  
  
"No, I'm not done," said Rudy. "I tribute my Earthbound Spirit to summon Ushi Oni!" It a flash of light and strong wind, the spirit was whipped away. In it's place stood a monster than looked like a bull-turned-genie. It wore a blue chest plate, but there was no need to guard its legs because they did not exist. Below the waste the Ushi Oni maded down like a genie. Its claws were exceptionally wicked. It glared down its opponents with a snort.Its stats were 2150 and 1950.  
  
"Now, Ushi Oni, directly attack the penguin scum!" ordered Rudy.  
  
Ushi Oni did. It jerked forward and slashed repeatedly at Crum, who squawked in pain and was sent flying backwards a little ways. He struggled to his stubby feet again, his life points at 1250.  
  
"And now, we will have order in this courtroom!" said Johnson. "Because I will activate my Deckmaster's special ability again, getting rid of all your monsters!" He shifted a bit, because the Empress Judge had not stopped glaring at him. But then the duel system activated. Johnson's life points fell to 750, and the Empress Judge and Ushi Oni disappeared in a blaze of glory.  
  
"Then, I will cal The Stern Mystic to the stand," continued Johnson. His monster appeared on the field. It looked like an elderly man with darker skin and course white hair. He wore a dark brown robe with a thick red collar and carried a gnarled wooden staff. Its stats were 1500 and 1200. Johnson eyed up his two opponents with an evil smile. They both had no monsters guarding their life points. "Mystic, attack Miss Shayla directly!"  
  
The Stern Mystic raised its staff and held it out straight. A blue orb of power formed on the tip. Then, it shot forward, right at Shayla. She had been anticipating the attack and had put her arms up defensively, but the attack still hurt. She gasped in pain and fell to her knees. Her life points dropped to a mere 250.  
  
"Shayla!" called Rudy. "Are you okay!?"  
  
"I....I," she stammered. She took some deep breaths of air and again forced herself to her feet.  
  
"You should just give up now," said Crum. "I wouldn't want your body to be any more damaged for when we take it!"  
  
"Oh, shove it!" snapped Shayla.  
  
"My turn is not over yet," said Johnson. "I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw to more cards." He did so. "Then, I will place these three magic cards, before I activate Emergency Provision. With this card I..."  
  
"Gain 500 life points for every magic card of yours on the field that you discard," finished Shayla, a bit waspishly. She was annoyed and scared, a bad combination.  
  
"Correct," said Johnson, giving her an unnoticed evil eye. The life point counter on his duel disk rose to 2250.  
  
"My turn then," said Shayla. She took a deep breath, even though it hurt to inhale, and drew her next card. It was Lady Assailant of the Flames. Shayla put it in her hand next to Soul of Purity and Light. She still wanted to summon the later, but she didn't have two Light monsters in her graveyard to do so. "There still might be a way," thought Shayla as she examined the rest of her hand.  
  
"I will place this monster face down in defense mode," said Shayla as she set her Lady Assailant of the Flames. She then pulled out a magic card that she would never normally put in her deck; it was one Rudy had added. "Then, I activate Dark Piercing Light! That reveals my Lady Assailant of the Flames and activates her special ability!" Her next female monster appeared where that had been a face down card hologram. She had wild sliver-brown hair with feathers tied in it. Her outfit was skimpy and royal blue. Many metal bracelets adorned her arms. Her attack was 1500 and her defense was 1000.  
  
"Special ability?!" cried Crum.  
  
"Yes," said Shayla. "By discarding the top three cards from my deck, I can do 800 direct damage to one of you!" Her fingers found her deck and removed the top three cards, which she slid in her graveyard. She smiled when she noticed the last one she discarded was Dunames Dark Witch, a Light monster despite her name.  
  
"Judgment on the Judgeman!" exclaimed Shayla as she decided her target. The Lady Assailant of the Flames put her hands together. A wall of fire rose, racing towards Johnson across the ground. He gasped as the flames singed him, taking off 800 life points and dropping him to 1450.  
  
"First I will set a magic card. Now, I can finally summon my Soul of Purity and Light," said Shayla. "First, I will remove Dunames Dark Witch and Goddess with the Third Eye from the game. Then I can special summon my next creature!" Shayla put her second monster on the duel disk and it appeared to the right of the lady assailant. The Soul of Purity and Light was barely a glowing vapor. It had a female shape, but was so transparent it was hard to make out any other features beside that. Her stats were 2000 and 1800.  
  
"If I directly attack either of them, they lose," thought Shayla. "But I can only attack with my Soul of Purity and Light, since my Lady Assailant of the Flames just changed battle positions."  
  
"Soul of Purity and Light, attack the penguin directly, Revival Light!" ordered Shayla.  
  
"Activate Negate Attack!" exclaimed Crum as he flipped over his face down magic card. The orbs of light that Shayla's monster had sent hit an invisible wall and disappeared. Shayla frowned.  
  
"Never underestimate a penguin!" chuckled Crum. "I will activate Monster Reborn and bring back my Flying Penguin. But it won't stay on the field long, because I will tribute it to summon my Defender Iceberg!" His next monster was made of solid ice. It could pass itself for a small glacier it was that large. But once one got over that fact, one would see that it was really a giant carved into the ice. It held a hand out as if saying, "Stop." Its defense was 2450 with Crum's Deckmaster bonus. "Then I set one magic card and end my turn."  
  
"You're always hiding behind your defenses," said Rudy, disdainfully. "Well, it won't work, because I am bring my Cosmo Queen to the field!" His Deckmaster nodded and stepped in front of him.  
  
"Are you sure Rudy?" asked Shayla.  
  
"Of course," he replied.  
  
"You just made this easier on us!" said Crum. "All we have to do is destroy that one monster, and we win!"  
  
"Too bad you won't be around then!" Rudy shouted back. "Now, Cosmo Queen, attack his Defender Iceberg, Cosmic Meteorain!" The Cosmo Queen raised her hands to the sky and began to call down comets.  
  
Shayla heard the Mystical Sand gasp behind her. "We must stop this or your friend will lose mistress!"  
  
"What!?"  
  
"I will destroy the trap card."  
  
"Do it," agreed Shayla.  
  
The Mystical Sand nodded as she raised her hands, causing another fierce sandstorm. The violent winds caused the Cosmo Queen to pause in her attack. Slivers of ice broke off of the Defender Iceberg. The two members of the Big 5 cringed from the unexpected change in the weather. The card in front of Crum flipped up for a moment, revealing itself as Mirror Force. Then it vanished in the wind.  
  
Rudy was the first to recover as the storm died. "Thanks Shayla, I owe you one."  
  
"No, we're even now," she replied.  
  
Rudy nodded, "Now, finish your attack Cosmo Queen!"  
  
The Cosmo Queen once more called down comets from the sky, which pounded the Defender Iceberg to bits, thus thoroughly eliminating Crum's defenses.  
  
"And you have the nerve to call me a cheater," muttered Johnson. "It isn't possible that your Deckmaster only takes out our magic cards!"  
  
"I agree!" snapped Crum. "The odds of that happening are slim to nothing! You had more of a chance to destroy your own monsters then our traps!"  
  
"I will not fail mistress," replied the Mystical Sand, glaring at them.  
  
"Take your turn," Rudy said to Johnson.  
  
"I will," said Johnson. "First, I play Graceful Charity. This magic card lets me draw three new cards, then discard any two cards from my hand."  
  
"We know what it does, get on with it!" snapped Rudy.  
  
Johnson looked at his cards and frowned. "I will move myself to the field."  
  
Rudy smirked, "All or nothing? Eh?"  
  
Johnson glared at him, "I will set one magic card, then attack the Soul of Purity and Light!" He raised a hand and began to concentrate his energy into it.  
  
"I activate Clock of Destiny!" exclaimed Shayla, using the card she had placed last turn. It was one Rudy had added to her deck. "This will speed up all time related cards by one turn."  
  
"There are none on the field!" exclaimed Crum.  
  
"Yes there is," said Shayla. "My Soul of Purity and Light's special ability! For everyone full turn she is on the field, she decrease the attack of my opponent's monsters by 300. That means she is 100 points stronger than you Judgeman!"  
  
"NO!!!" cried Johnson as the two clashed. There was a blinding flash of light and a loud, long scream. When both faded, all that was left was the nearly transparent soul.  
  
"Now, finish this duel Soul of Purity and Light!" ordered Shayla. "Attack the penguin directly and eliminate the rest of his life points!"  
  
"NO!" squawked Crum. But the attack could not be stopped. The attack went though and Crum's life points dropped to 0. His body broke into data bits and he vanished, leaving Shayla and Rudy alone in the sandy meadow.  
  
Shayla felt very funny for a moment. She started to space out, but she pulled out her scales. She started speaking, but she wasn't sure if it was her voice or not, "It is time to judge those who have corrupted justice and defiled truth! The traitors will now have their hearts weighed!" The Millennial Scales glowed brightly and tipped to the left. There was another blinding flash of light. A creature that was part hippo, part lion, and part crocodile appeared in front of Shayla. The creature's name was Ammit, and she was ravenous. She didn't even look over her shoulder at the one who had summoned her before she disappeared in search of her prey.  
  
With that Shayla's arm dropped. She shook her head as if she was confused, "W-w-what just happened?"  
  
"Don't worry about it. I knew we'd win," said Rudy smugly.  
  
"Rudy...thanks," said Shayla.  
  
"Don't mention it," replied Rudy. "You are a good duelist, don't doubt yourself."  
  
"Erm..." stammered Shayla. Then she felt a chill. "Rudy?"  
  
No answer, he was gone.  
  
Before Shayla had time to puzzle over this, a huge hole formed under her feet and she dropped. Her heart leapt to her throat and her acrophobia kicked in double time. She screamed, and somewhere during the fall, she blacked out.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
*Dream*  
  
Shayla was again watching a life outside her own. She was walking down empty streets in late evening. A large, heavy jar of water was in her arms. Shayla guessed that she had gone out to fetch water for the evening from a well.  
  
She was trying to make it home before the sun fully set, but her arms were tired. She set it down in front of her and wiped the sweat off of her forehead.  
  
CRASH! The sound of something breaking behind her caused her to whirl around. She heard some curing in Egyptian. Her eyes focused on a figure in the shadows. He had tripped over a jar that someone had left outside and broken it. The man signed and approached her.  
  
Shayla heard herself gasp as she recognized the person. He was the high priest who had visited the temple before. She quickly looked down and tightened her grip on her jar of water. Her eyes slid back, considering running for it. But by that time he was in front of her.  
  
"W-w-what do you want sir?" she asked, her voice and hands shaking.  
  
"I am curious as to why an Israelite would be inside the temple of Isis," he said. She did not answer.  
  
"Look at me," he said, not angrily, not demanding. Shayla did not move.  
  
She felt strong fingers on her chin, tilting her head up. Her creamy brown eyes focused on his intense blue ones. Her eyes flickered away only once, but she found it near impossible to do that again. He started into the depths of her eyes as if he was reading her soul through them.  
  
It was hard to say how many moments passed then, but it seemed like an eternity when he finally removed his hand from her face.  
  
"I see then," he muttered. Shayla had the impression he had learned something from staring at her like that. "I will leave you now." With that he turned and walked away.  
  
Shayla felt herself exhale, and she hadn't even realized she was holding her breath. Her heart had been pounding away like an out of control train. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, grabbed her water jar, and hurried home as fast as she could. But her heart refused to calm down.  
  
*End Dream*  
  
"Ugh...my head," groaned Shayla as she woke up. Her mind was in knots from the duel and the dream, her nerves were on end from the fall, and her heart was still pounding from looking into his eyes. "Where am I?"  
  
She began to feel around. Her hands first found her backpack, with everything in tact. The floor was cold and metallic beneath her fingers. She ran them along its surface, but it wasn't too far before she came across a pole in the ground. Next to that was another one, then another and another. Shayla jerked up right, but almost hit her head on the low ceiling. A cage!  
  
"What is going on?!" she gasped.  
  
"You are key in my plans, and I couldn't have you going anywhere," came Noah's reply.  
  
"Noah?!" gasped Shayla. "What do you want with me?!"  
  
"Like I said, I have my plans," he answered. She heard him go back to typing.  
  
All around her were the voices of her friends, they sounded lost, confused, or just ticked. Shayla guessed that she was in some sort of surveillance room, where Noah watched them all.  
  
"What are you trying to pull?" she demanded.  
  
"Be quiet!" snapped Noah. "I don't need your mouth!"  
  
Shayla felt that is she remained silent, she would once again be consumed by fear. "Answer my question then."  
  
Noah ignored her and continued muttering to himself. "My software has almost finished going through all of Seto's memories. Then the real fun can begin!"  
  
"You're going through his memories?!" gasped Shayla, horrified. "That's sick!"  
  
"It's not less than he deserves!" Noah snapped back. "You should know that!"  
  
"Everyone deserves to have their minds safe," replied Shayla, her heart wrenching as she thought of Mai.  
  
"You are awfully noisy!" Noah retorted. "Why don't I show you how well this technology works first hand?!"  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"And that should finish it," Shayla, who as Adora at time, said to Martin. They had been labeling all of her newest Duel Monster cards. It was a beautiful day outside, but Shayla and Martin stayed inside because no one ever wanted to play with them. Luther, however, was out. He loved being athletically active. But he had promised he'd join them later that afternoon.  
  
Someone, one of the workers, entered the room. "Martin, erm...whatever your name is, please come with me," her tone was dead serious.  
  
"Come on Martin," said Adora/Shayla as she slipped her cards into her pack and walked out. Martin followed in her heels.  
  
They were led to the main office. Mr. McCallen was behind his desk, a grave expression on his face. Martin and Adora sat down across from him.  
  
"I have some bad news," he said. He waited for a response, but he got none, so he continued. "There's been an accident..." Still no response. "I'm sorry....Luther..."  
  
"What about Luther?!" demanded Adora. Her mouth had gone dry and her heart started to throb.  
  
"I'm sorry," repeated Mr. McCallen. "The car came out of nowhere...it was going too fast...He didn't make it..."  
  
"What?! NO!" shrieked Adora. Martin sat there quietly, but his eyes were as wide as dinner plates.  
  
"I'm sorry...he's gone," said Mr. McCallen.  
  
"He can't be!" Adora cried. "I just talked to him this morning! He's not dead! He can't be! You lie!"  
  
"I'm not...." started Mr. McCallen, but he never got a chance to finish before Adora ran from the room.  
  
There were no tears, just a stunned breathlessness that had overtaken her and formed into panic. She didn't know where her feet were taking her, but she was in Luther's room. It smelled like him here. His things were here. It was familiar.  
  
But it seemed like everything was pushing in around her. She gasped for air, but her head seemed light. Her legs gave out on her and she fell with a sob. That was where they found here half an hour later.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Shayla's heart was broken in two again as she relived that day in precise detail. She was breathing hard from the experience. Her Millennial Scales activated, feeling her stressed. They did what they were made to do, equalize things. A beam of light caught Noah squarely between the shoulder blades.  
  
His eyes went vacant for a moment, then he screamed, "An accident?! ...NO!!! .... Father! Don't leave me!!!"  
  
It went silent for a moment as they each tried to reorient themselves with reality...or as much of reality as they could.  
  
"What are you?!" demanded Noah. "How did you use my own software against me?!"  
  
"It's not technology, it's magic," Shayla answered, honestly.  
  
Noah, "I bet it was that hacker friend of yours!"  
  
"No, it was magic," insisted Shayla.  
  
"Be quiet!" snapped Noah. "I am sick of hearing you!"  
  
"You brought me here!"  
  
"You're part of my plans and nothing more, so shut-up!"  
  
"Then tell me what you want from me!"  
  
Noah ignored her and began typing again. In the silence she could still hear her friends voices, same as ever. But a lump was forming in her stomach, some kind of instinct telling her she was in more trouble than she realized. 


	6. Three on One

"We are going in circles," Duke said to Serenity and Tristan. They were in a sparse meadow that had a few scraggily pine trees growing in it. But it was a beautiful day in the virtual with a clear by sky, warm weather, and a gentle breeze.  
  
"Don't be so negative," said Tristan. "This place has some good points." He stretched, enjoying the sunlight.  
  
"Five old, creepy, guys want to steal our bodies! How can you talk about its good points?" Duke demanded.  
  
Tristan gritted his teeth, talking low so only Duke would hear him, "I'm trying to make Serenity feel better."  
  
"We need to be realistic!" Duke snapped back.  
  
"And you aren't helping anything dice-boy!" retorted Tristan.  
  
"Take that back cone-head!"  
  
"Guys, please stop fighting," said Serenity. "I'm sure we'll all be fine."  
  
"Don't forget there's five of them," Duke reminded them. "That means Yu- Gi, Joe, Drake, and Kaiba won't be there only targets. They might come after us."  
  
"Well, there's more than five of us here, so we might get lucky," countered Tristan.  
  
"I'm not worried, I feel safe when I'm with you," chimed Serenity.  
  
"You do?!" gasped Tristan, hope flickering in his brown eyes.  
  
Serenity nodded, "Yes, both of you are such good friends." Tristan face- faulted.  
  
"I still think we need to be careful," said Duke.  
  
"We don't have anything to worry about," Serenity said. "After all, with an expert duelist like Tristan around, the Big 5 will never win."  
  
"Expert duelist?! What else have you been telling this poor girl?" asked Duke. Tristan covered his mouth.  
  
"That's right Serenity!" exclaimed Tristan to hide Duke's protests.  
  
"Don't you know Tristan taught Joe all he knows about dueling?" asked Serenity.  
  
Duke rolled his eyes and glared at Tristan, unable to say more.  
  
"Uh-Oh!" gasped Tristan. A door had materialized behind Serenity. The three stopped their bantering and turned and stared at it, unsure what to make of it. It was a thick oak door, hovering three inches off of the ground. It seemed completely out of place, and given the situation, they weren't sure what they should do about it.  
  
"I don't like this," said Duke at length. "This has to be a trap."  
  
"But what if it leads out of here?" asked Serenity.  
  
"And what if it doesn't?" asked Duke, crossing his arms and glaring at the door.  
  
"I agree with Duke on this one, it's too risky," said Tristan.  
  
"Oh, come on guys," said Serenity. With that she opened the door.  
  
"Serenity, no!" gasped Duke but it was too late. A blinding light flooded the area around them. The meadow dissolved.  
  
"I can't see!" exclaimed Tristan. The light was so intense they were all shielding their eyes. The virtual world around them changed completely.

Stupid FF.N Deleting my scene dividers

"So much for getting out of here," sighed Lara as she looked around the newest area she and Drake found themselves in. MC Esher was clearly the muse behind this place. The couple was in a staircase room. Stairs lead everywhere, even sideways and upside down. Doors were in the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. Nothing seemed to lead to anywhere logical. It was one of the hardest visual mazes ever constructed.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me," agreed Drake, looking around.  
  
"Where do we go now?" asked Lara.  
  
"Whatever way gets us out of here the fastest," answered Drake.  
  
"And that way is...?"  
  
"No idea."  
  
Lara sighed, "I guess we can try to get to a door, any door..."  
  
"Let's go then," said Drake, taking her hand. They started walking. "I do know this, Noah is going to regret this." He gritted his teeth.

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Joe was running through the cave that the door that he, Yu-Gi, Téa, and Kevin had taken took them. The other three were trying to keep up. Joe's speed was fueled by his concern for his sister. Every few moments he would yell her name.  
  
"We're worried too!" Téa yelled up to him. "But do you think you can slow down a bit?"  
  
"I have to find her!"  
  
"This cave could go on forever," added Yu-Gi.  
  
"It does," confirmed Kevin. "We only get out of here when Noah wants us out."  
  
"No one asked for your opinion!" countered Joe, who would not normally be so waspish if it wasn't for his anxiety.  
  
"Well you got it!" Kevin yelled back.  
  
"Boys, please, we have enough people running around who want to fight us without us fighting each other," Téa scolded.  
  
"You're right," admitted Kevin. Joe did not seem to hear her.

Stupid FF.N Deleting my scene dividers

The light faded. Serenity, Duke, and Tristan looked around. The walls were cold steel. There was a catwalk above them. The room was large and bare otherwise. It looked familiar. It was the very place they had stepped off of the blimp. There was only one problem. The blimp was gone.  
  
"Looks like we're back where we started before the Big5 sent us to virtual land but there's no sign of the blimp in here at all." Duke said.  
  
"Do you think they left without us?" asked Serenity, nervously.  
  
"No, I know Joe wouldn't let them leave us behind," said Tristan.  
  
"I agree, most likely this is another part of Noah's fortress, made to look like the dock," said Duke.  
  
As if to confirm what he said, a large robot appeared high in the ceiling and hovered down to the ground, via jetpacks built into the boots. The robot was mostly red, but it had blue and yellow and black sections on its plating as well. Its eyes glowed green and stared at the three people.  
  
"It's some kind of giant robot or something!" Tristan gasped. Duke and Serenity were too stunned to say anything.  
  
"Greetings Humans," said the robot. "My name is Nesbit, one of the Big 5. I was the former Vice President of Technology at Kaiba Corp. But now, I am Robotic Knight. I am the tech expert of the Big 5, and I will prove to you pathetic humans that machines are superior to humans in every way. I will crush you and claim your bodies!" He held out a robotic arm and a duel disk former on it. "And I will start by taking out the female."  
  
Serenity gasped. "But...I don't...dueling....."  
  
"Leave her alone!" exclaimed Tristan. "She doesn't know how to duel! If you want to duel someone you'll duel me you scrap heap!"  
  
Duke looked at Tristan out of the corner of his eyes. He knew Tristan didn't stand any better chance at winning than Serenity. "You're a coward!" Duke taunted. "If you want to prove anything, you'll duel me!"  
  
"Negative, I have challenge the female," countered Nesbit. Serenity gulped.  
  
"And I challenge you!" Tristan yelled.  
  
"I have an idea," said Duke, glowering. "You will duel me and Tristan, two for the price of one!"  
  
"Negative, but that gives me an idea," said Nesbit. "You will all duel me in a three on one duel. Then, the Big 5 will have three bodies to use to escape to the real world."  
  
"What?! No way! Leave Serenity out of this!" yelled Tristan and Duke.  
  
"It's okay guys," said Serenity. "I will duel with you. I'll just follow your lead and I'll be okay."  
  
"The stakes are too high!" argued Duke.  
  
"It's way too dangerous," agreed Tristan.  
  
Nesbit gave a command and duel disks appeared on all their arms. "Everyone wearing a duel disk will be part of this duel."  
  
"Cool," murmured Serenity, examining the duel disk on her arm.  
  
"Not cool," muttered Tristan and Duke.  
  
"Machines are more powerful than people," Nesbit said. "And I intend to pull the plug on all three of you. Now, choose your pathetic decks from the database."  
  
"But how will I know what cards to pick?" asked Serenity, looking at the cards that scrolled up in front of her eyes completely confused.  
  
"Just trust your instincts," urged Tristan. "You need magic, trap, and monster cards in your deck." Serenity nodded and began to pick cards. Tristan turned and did the same. Duke's green eyes were intensely scanning the database, trying to pick the best cards he was used to using.  
  
"Now you must choose your Deck Masters," ordered Nesbit.  
  
"Strike Ninja," said Duke, without hesitation.  
  
Serenity flipped through her cards, "I choose Goddess with the 3rd Eye,  
  
"Super Robo Yarou for me," finished Tristan. Their Deck Masters appeared behind their right shoulders.  
  
The Strike Ninja wore a red and black outfit that is often associated with ninjas. It was very mysterious, and a decent card even without being a Deck Master. The Goddess with the 3rd Eye wore a pale green robe and white feathers in her brown hair. Her eyes were closed, save her namesake red eye in the middle of her forehead. The Super Robo Yarou was a fusion monster had it been in the duel normally. But Deck Masters didn't have to follow rules like that. It wore a tight blue jumpsuit that covered most of its body. A white helmet covered the face.  
  
"Since I have taken the form of a Duel Monster, I will be my own Deck Master," said Nesbit. "And now to make this duel more interesting." Plates fell away from the floor, opening it to reveal a lake of something glowing molten red. "Beneath you is radioactive waste. If you break any rules the floor will collapse under you and you will fall into it."  
  
"I don't like this one bit," said Duke, taking a step back from the edge.  
  
"There is one rule I will particularly be enforcing. Under no condition are you to discuss you strategy with one another," Nesbit continued. "If you do you will fall into the waste."  
  
"But, how will I know what to do if you can't help me?" Serenity asked desperately to Tristan and Duke.  
  
"You're going to have to trust yourself," said Tristan.  
  
"Like you said before, just follow our lead," added Duke.  
  
The counters on their duel disks rose to 4000. The duel had begun, whether they were ready or not. Serenity looked incredibly nervous. Tristan kept glancing at her, more worried about her than himself. Duke was biting his lip. He knew they needed strategy to win, and he could tell he wouldn't be getting a lot of it from his teammates.  
  
"The female will go first," ordered Nesbit.  
  
"Um...." stammered Serenity, looking at the cards in her hand. She selected a monster card. "I summon Shadow Tamer in attack mode." Shadow Tamer wore a white dress with a reddish brown bodice. Her hair was long and turquoise. But her stats were incredibly weak at 800 and 700.  
  
"Oh no," groaned Tristan. "That most is too weak to play in attack mode."  
  
"Did I do something wrong already?" asked Serenity.  
  
"No, no, no!" exclaimed Tristan, sweat-dropping. He didn't have the heart to tell her. "You did fine."  
  
"Okay, then I end my turn," said Serenity.  
  
"This is not good," thought Duke. "We need to play smart to win."  
  
Tristan drew his first card, "I summon Cyber Commando to the field in attack mode. Come and get me punk!" His monster was also humanoid. It had tan skin and wore no shirt. His pants were army fatigues. He wore an ammunition belt across his chest. He also carried a large missile launcher. Despite the muscular façade, it was an even weaker monster with an attack and defense of 750 and 700.  
  
Duke looked at Tristan in disbelief.  
  
"Come on Duke," thought Tristan. He wanted to speak, but he knew the consequences if he did. "Play a weak monster so Metal Head will go after you and not Serenity!"  
  
Duke took his time thinking out his first move, "I summon the 13th Grave in defense mode." His monster was a skeleton, half buried under ground. It had clothing, but those were no more than shreds, not that it needed it. The 13th Grave had an attack of 1200 and a defense of 900. Now it was Tristan's turn to look at him in disbelief. Duke was aiming for strategy while Tristan's sole concern was for Serenity.  
  
"Its time for me to accelerate into high gear," Nesbit said as he started his first turn. "I summon Gigatech Wolf to the field in attack mode." His monster was a robot shaped like a wolf. It was completely formed by grey steel, save some blue trim. Electricity cracked from its eyes. It was the strongest monster on the field with stats of 1200 and 1400. "Now, Gigatech Wolf, attack the female."  
  
"No, Serenity!" exclaimed the guys.  
  
"No!" yelled Serenity. The Gigatech Wolf charged through her monster and continued until it collided with her. Serenity fell backwards hard and her life points dropped to 3600.  
  
"Serenity! Are you okay?!" yelled Tristan.  
  
"I...I'm fine," she stammered, although she still sounded a bit stunned.  
  
"My turn is not over yet," said Nesbit. "I play one card face down. I will now discard one machine monster from my hand to activate my special ability as Deck Master."  
  
"And that would be?" asked Duke, skeptically.  
  
"Final Arsenal! I can do 500 points of direct damage to all of you," laughed Nesbit. Missile opened up on his own shoulder and targeted his three opponents. The missiles sailed right over the monsters on the field, hitting everyone directly in the chest. They all cried out in pain.

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"Did you hear that?!" demanded Joe to the others. "That was Serenity screaming right now!"  
  
"We're going to find her Joe," encouraged Téa.  
  
"Yeah! The Big 5 have no right to treat a lady like that!" added Kevin.  
  
"Hello? Serenity?!!!" Joe yelled, still running.  
  
"Joe! Wait up!" called Yu-Gi.  
  
"He's worried," said Kevin.  
  
"I know, but we stand the best chance if we all stick together," reminded Téa.  
  
"SERENITY!" Serenity was the last to stand as the duel picked up again. She seemed shaken as she drew her next card.  
  
"Even the three of you combined can't take me down," Nesbit laughed.  
  
"I should summon a monster in defense mode," said Serenity.  
  
"That's the spirit, you're getting the hang of this," encouraged Tristan.  
  
"Okay, then I summon the Forgiving Maiden in defense mode," said Serenity, placing the card on her duel disk. Her monster wore a black robe. Her head was covered by a heavily embroided shroud. A silk white scarf was around her neck, as well as a rosary. She was a good monster to put in defense mode, because her defense was 2000. There was only one problem. Serenity did not know the difference in card positions for attack and defense mode.  
  
"Serenity! You played your monster in attack mode!" exclaimed Duke. "You have to turn the card sideways on your duel disk to summon it in defense mode!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Serenity. "I keep screwing up...."  
  
"Let her take that turn over dude!" Tristan demanded.  
  
"Sorry, no second chances," Nesbit replied.

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"What a low life," muttered Shayla who hung suspended above Noah's control terminal. She looked half irked, half scared, but was still trying to put on a front despite it. "Although I am going to have to compliment Serenity on her monster selection. She has good taste."  
  
"He's not breaking any rules," Noah replied, simply.  
  
"He's still hardly playing fair," Shayla said, irked winning for a moment.  
  
"Not my problem," Noah shrugged.  
  
"You're a coward, bribing them to do your dirty work," snapped Shayla. She probably wouldn't be so nasty if she wasn't feeling trapped, which she literally was.  
  
"It's all part of my plan," Noah countered.  
  
"And I want to know how that concerns me," Shayla said.  
  
"You'll see," Noah said. Then laughed, "Then again, you won't see anything." He laughed some more.  
  
"That was funny...about the first thousand times I heard it," Shayla said, dryly.  
  
The entire time they talked the voices of the others filtered through thanks to Noah's surveillance system. At this moment, one voice came through exceptionally loud.  
  
"You can't lead me around like a puppet forever, Noah!" Kaiba yelled. He was mad, bottom line. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba had been wondering in the same place since they arrived. But that was because Noah was merely biding his time with them.  
  
"In my world, I can do whatever I want, and besides I'm having too much fun toying with your head to stop now," Noah said to the screen, even though Kaiba couldn't hear him. "If you think this is bad just wait to see what I have in store for you next!"  
  
"That is absolutely sick!" exclaimed Shayla, knowing full well how far mind games could go. They were costing her closest friend everything.  
  
"Shut-up! Unless you want me to test them on you again!" Noah yelled. Shayla was bothering him simply because she was not under his thumb.  
  
"You risk yourself that way, my Millennial Scales work the same as before," Shayla reminded him. "They will equalize anything you do to me."  
  
"You are talking non-sense!"  
  
"It's magic," she replied.  
  
"There's no such thing!"  
  
"Oh yes there is. You're starting to sound like Kaiba, denying what you experience first hand."  
  
"I'm not like him!"  
  
Shayla felt a slight tug on the scales. There was something about what he just said that triggered them. "What are you hiding?"  
  
"Nothing! Now shut up!" Noah practically screamed, typing with renewed vigor. _"Of all times why does she choose now to start talking?" _

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"It's my turn now," said Tristan. He drew his next card. "I need to do something that will help Serenity...A Block Attack magic card! Perfect!"  
  
"I activate Block Attack to move the Forgiving Maiden to defense mode!" announced Tristan, sliding the card into his duel disk.  
  
"Negative, my trap card destroys any magic card that specifically targets one monster," said Nesbit.  
  
"Apparently..." muttered Tristan, his Block Attack vanishing.  
  
"My move, and I summon Yaranzo to the field in defense mode," said Duke. His newest monster was humanoid too, like most monsters they had played. It had pink flesh and wore no clothing. That's because it was half embedded in a treasure chest. Its stats were 1300 and 1200. "Then I set one magic card and end my turn." Tristan was glaring at Duke.  
  
"I now tribute my Gigatech Wolf to summon Machine King to the field," announced Nesbit. Machine King was a very square monster with round arms and legs. Its plating was red and blue, and the arms black. It had concealed weapons in a circular projection in the middle of its chest. It only had 2200 attack points, but its special ability made it a must for any machine-based deck.  
  
"This is going to be trouble," muttered Duke.  
  
"And Machine King gets 100 more attack points for every machine type monster on the field," said Nesbit. "That includes your Cyber Commando." This brought the attack of Machine King up to 2300. "Now, Machine King, attack the female."  
  
"No, Serenity!" yelled Duke.  
  
"Leave her alone!" demanded Tristan, but the attack was already launched. The concealed weapons opened and aimed for the Forgiving Maiden. "There has to be something I can do!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped Serenity.  
  
"Cyber Commando, block the attack!" ordered Tristan. His monster did as ordered, and was broken to bits. This knocked Tristan all the way down to 1850 life points. Duke had 3500, and Serenity 3100. Nesbit had all of his.  
  
"What are you thinking?!" demanded Duke.  
  
"I had to do something to protect her!" Tristan shot back. "Because you're definitely not!"  
  
"We have to play smart here to win! We need a strategy and you are just digging your own grave!"  
  
"Please stop it!" yelled Serenity, who was distressed to see her friends fighting. Tristan and Duke both fell silent.  
  
"I will continue my turn by activating Card of Sanctity," said Nesbit. "That means we all must draw until we have six cards in our hand. Think of it as recharging your battery." The four duelists drew. "Soon you'll all be obsolete," Nesbit continued. "Because I activate my Deck Master's special ability again, by discarding another machine type monster from my hand!"  
  
"Oh no!" gasped his three opponents.  
  
"Activate Final Artillery!" said Nesbit as he pushed the card into his graveyard.  
  
Once again rockets pelted Duke, Tristan, and Serenity. They all gasped in pain as their life points plummeted. Duke was standing the best at 3000. Serenity had 2600. Tristan was not in a good position at 1350.  
  
"It's my turn," said Serenity. She looked her hand over. "I summon Lady Panther to the field in defense mode." Her monster appeared next to her Forgiving Maiden. The Lady Panther was a panther dressed in armor. She had a tiny breastplate and skirt made of chain mail. She also had steel gauntlets trimmed in gold and a gold belt. Across her back was a long white cape. In one paw was an ornate shield, in the other was a staff topped with several curved arches. Her stats were 1400 and 1300, and this time Serenity positioned her card right on the duel disk.  
  
"You go girl!" cheered Tristan.  
  
"I think you're starting to get the hang of this," added Duke.  
  
"Okay, then I move my Forgiving Maiden to defense mode," said Serenity, smiling. She turned her monster card on her duel disk.  
  
"And I summon my Command Angel to the field, also in defense mode," added Tristan.  
  
"I will also summon a defensive monster," added Duke. "Meet my Dark Assailant!" His monster had skin like a cadaver. It wore a blue and green jumpsuit and had wicked claws. Its attack equaled its defense at 1200.  
  
"This is more like it!" cheered Tristan  
  
"You'll never get our army of defensive monsters," Duke said.  
  
"Your monsters will be your own undoing," said Nesbit. "Because now I activate my trap card, Back-Up Soldier. I can only activate this card if there is more than five monsters in my graveyard, which there is. Back-Up Soldier allows me to select three of them and return them to my hand."  
  
"You know what this means guys," said Duke with wide-eyes.  
  
"I then discard them again to activate my Deck Master's special ability, Final Artillery!" exclaimed Nesbit. Once again there was the hum of missiles flying through the air as the trio was hit directly. They fell to the ground and struggled to their feet with 500 less life points.  
  
"This next card will blow your circuits," gloated Nesbit. "It is called Clockwork Knight. It turns every monster on the field into a machine type monster, giving more strength to Machine King."  
  
"Oh great!" groaned Duke as all their monsters were turned into robotic versions of themselves. Machine King was up to 2900 attack points.  
  
"That's not all, Clockwork Knight causes all of your monsters to lose 500 attack points," added Nesbit. "Machine King gains another 500 attack points as well." This brought his monster all the way up to 3400 attack points.  
  
"Look how strong Machine King is!" gasped Tristan.  
  
"We're in trouble..." moaned Serenity.  
  
"Don't worry Serenity, we'll take this bucket of bolts down," replied Tristan.  
  
"We shall see, because now I activate Short Circuit," announced Nesbit.  
  
"Short Circuit?" echoed Tristan.  
  
"This forces all machine type monsters into attack mode," explained Nesbit. All of their defensive monsters stood up, ready to attack, even though the duelists were not. "Unlike humans, machines follow commands."  
  
"He never lost control of this match for a second!" Duke exclaimed.  
  
"Now, Machine King, attack the female!" ordered Nesbit.  
  
"Oh no!" cried Serenity.  
  
"She'll lose the duel!" gasped Duke.  
  
"There has to be something...Super Robo Yaruo! Take the hit!" ordered Tristan.  
  
"Tristan! No!" yelled Duke.  
  
"I activate my Deck Master's special ability!" exclaimed Tristan. "First, I set this magic card, then I can double my Deck Master's attack points!"  
  
"It's still not enough!" Duke yelled.  
  
But it was too late. Super Robo Yaruo took the hit for Serenity and broke into data.  
  
"With your Deck Master gone you lose to duel!" Duke yelled.  
  
"No, Tristan!" gasped Serenity.  
  
"You have lost, and your body is now ours!" exclaimed Nesbit.  
  
"I'm aware of that you oversized trash can!" Tristan snapped. "Listen Serenity, there's something I need to tell you. I'm not an expert duelist. I barely even know the basics. I'm sorry I lied to you." He then turned to Duke. "You'd better take care of her!" With that the floor gave out beneath him and he fell, screaming, into the toxic waste. But Tristan disappeared the moment before he hit it.  
  
"You said we'd only fall if we cheated," Serenity cried.  
  
"His mind has been digitized and his body is in a holding area waiting to be taken over," Nesbit laughed. "And soon you two will join him!" "No, Tristan!" yelled Serenity. Duke was stunned silent.

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"That sounded like serenity!" Tea gasped.  
  
"We'll make sure she's okay," Yu-Gi said as concern flickered across Joe's face.  
  
"Serenity! Hang in there! I'm coming!" yelled Joe as he started sprinting.  
  
"I had no idea I'd be running so much when I found you guys," said Kevin, breathing hard. "I would have worn better shoes."  
  
"Do you think Serenity is okay?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"My guess is she's dueling right now," answered Kevin.  
  
"What?! But she doesn't know how!" exclaimed Joe.  
  
"Well, on the plus side, we can still hear her, so she hasn't lost yet," said Kevin.  
  
"SERENITY!" yelled Joe, hurrying even faster.  
  
"We got to stick together!" Tea yelled up to him.  
  
"He isn't going to listen to us," sighed Kevin.  
  
"Wait up!" yelled Yu-Gi, who was falling behind.

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"Not Tristan!" Duke gasped, looking at the place where his friend once stood.  
  
"This is all my fault. He lost trying to protect me," Serenity cried, falling to her knees and sobbing.  
  
"You got to remain strong," Duke told her. "This duel isn't over yet." Duke started to walk over to her to help comfort her.  
  
"Halt! This duel is still in progress. You must remain where you are!" ordered Nesbit.  
  
Duke glared at him venomously.  
  
"This is all my fault, I'm no good, I keep screwing up," moaned Serenity.  
  
"She's blown a fuse," Nesbit laughed.  
  
"I can't do anything right," Serenity thought. "It's all my fault Tristan is gone. I messed everything up."  
  
"Serenity is gone," thought Duke. "And I don't know how to reach her. And bucket face still wants this duel to continue...this is not good."  
  
"Take your next turn!" ordered Nesbit.  
  
"We may be able to bring Tristan back, but we have to duel our best," Duke called to Serenity. "So get up and dust yourself off. We need to win this for his sake!" Serenity didn't even move, she was too lost in her own thoughts. Duke gritted her teeth, "All right we'll skip her turn!"  
  
"Agreed," replied Nesbit. "It does not matter what you do, you human will not beat the might of us machines."  
  
"I activate Dimension Hole, which allows me to remove one of my monsters from play this turn, and I choose my Dark Assailant," announced Duke. "That weakens your Machine King by 100 points!"  
  
"Play whatever you like there's nothing that can save you now," Nesbit said, sounding a bit bored.  
  
"Even this card?" asked Duke, holding up one card.  
  
"A Dice Dungeon magic card?" Nesbit asked.  
  
"Right," smirked Duke. "The dice have always been friendly to me, so I am going to turn this duel into a dice game! Dice Dungeon turns to field into a dice board, much like my own Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Then, I activate Demented Dice, to kick off our dice game. Now for a monster...I tribute my turn remaining monsters, Yaranzo and the 13th Grave to summon Orgoth the Relentless!"  
  
Duke's powerhouse appeared on the field. It wore blue, violet, and golden armor which completely hid its body from view. The horned helmet had a narrow visor where two yellow eyes glared out. Nothing else was distinguishable about the face. It had massive arms and legs and looked ready to crush whatever got close. Its stats were 2500 and 2400. Machine King was down to 3100 points thanks to Duke's tributes. But it was still more than strong enough to beat Orgoth.  
  
"I'm afraid you're going to need a lot more than a few dice to dismantle a superhuman machine like myself," Nesbit said, coldly.  
  
"Just watch!" exclaimed Duke. "Let's begin this dice game!"

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"This place is hurting my eyes," groaned Lara as she continued to roam the MC Esher landscape with Drake. "Weren't we just over on that staircase, but upside down?"  
  
"I thought we were over there," pointed Drake. "That doorway looks familiar."  
  
"That Noah has a sick sense of humor to send us here," muttered Lara.  
  
"Well, it's better than that swamp."  
  
"Anything is better than that."  
  
"Although what I really want is a ticket out of here," sighed Lara. "How can Noah justify holding us in this...place? We won our duel!"  
  
"That brat is a dirty little cheat," muttered Drake. "It looks like we're going to be on our own finding an exit out of here."  
  
"Hey, that door doesn't seem to belong," commented Lara, pointing down. Unlike all the plain wooden doors in this labyrinth, the door she had indicated was darker and more ornate.  
  
"It looks like the doors we took before," said Drake.  
  
"Let's take it then," suggested Lara.  
  
"I like that idea, anything that will take us to a place where the laws of physics aren't ignored," agreed the redhead. "Looks like we're going to have to jump to get to it."  
  
"Doesn't bother me," shrugged Lara.  
  
"Let's go then!" exclaimed Drake, taking her hand.  
  
They both jumped at the same moment, aiming to land right on top of the door. But as they got close the door opened, engulfing them both in bright light.

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"Now where are we?" asked Lara as she straightened up.  
  
"This looks like the hanger," commented Drake, looking around. "But the blimp is gone."  
  
"Do you think we made it out and they left without us?" asked Lara.  
  
Drake didn't answer. He walked over to the end of the catwalk. Down below the duel was going in full swing. "I don't think we're back in reality yet.  
  
"Serenity and Duke are dueling that rusted piece of junk?" asked Lara.  
  
"Duke! Serenity!" called Drake.  
  
"Drake! Lara!" Duke exclaimed, turning around. "Nice to see some normal people!"  
  
"What happened? Is Serenity okay?" asked Lara.  
  
"Well..." started Duke.  
  
"Enough communication! On with the duel!" ordered Nesbit.  
  
"Shove it bolt brains!" snapped Drake.  
  
"We beat you already!" Lara yelled. "You don't have any right to duel these two!"  
  
"The intruders will remain quiet!" bellowed Nesbit.  
  
"Guys, I can handle this," said Duke.  
  
Drake looked at the grid that had formed on the field thanks the Duke's two magic cards. "Oh! So those cards I had made for you work?"  
  
"You bet!" exclaimed Duke. "That's two I owe you."  
  
"Enough distractions!" yelled Nesbit.  
  
"Keep your bolts tight, I'm going," said Duke. "To begin, we both have to select one monster and bring it to the dice field. I select Orgoth."  
  
"And Machine King for me," said Nesbit. Both monsters stepped forward.  
  
"Now, we both roll a die, to determine our monsters' attack points," continued Duke. "I'll go first, I've always had good luck with dice."  
  
"Maybe we should go to Vegas together then," said Drake. Duke chuckled, feeling more relaxed then he had the whole game.  
  
Duke picked up a die that had appeared in front of him and rolled it. It stopped on six. "Yes!" cheered Duke. "That doubles my monster's attack!" Orgoth now had 5000 attack points.  
  
"My turn then," said Nesbit. He rolled and the die stopped on a one.  
  
"That's not good," smirked Duke. "That means Machine King loses 1000 attack points."  
  
"Are you making these regulations up as you go?" Nesbit grumbled as his monster dropped to 2100 attack points.  
  
"Check the rulebook," replied Duke, coolly. "Now Orgoth, attack Machine King with Diamond Blade Strike!" Orgoth charged forward, drew its sword, and sliced Machine King right down the middle. Machine King broke into bits and disappeared from the field. This brought Nesbit all the way down to 1100 life points. "This one's for Tristan. Good-bye Machine King, hello scrap pile."  
  
"That was luck, your good fortune is about to run out," Nesbit said as he drew his next card. "I move myself to the field." Now Robotic Knight was on the field. His stats were 1600 and 1800.  
  
"This is good!" encouraged the violet haired girl. "All you have to do is destroy him to win!"  
  
"And I intend on doing that," agreed Duke.  
  
"You will never be able to stop us machines, because I activate Recycling Plant," announced Nesbit. "This allows me to bring Machine King back from my graveyard."  
  
"Oh no, he's set himself up for a powerful fusion!" gasped Drake.  
  
"Affirmative," replied Nesbit. "Recycling Plant allows me to fuse Machine King to myself, creating the Perfect Machine King!" His newest monster was a bulky white and red mecha. It seemed squat because of all the plating on its chest. It was clear that under all that plating was a number of concealed weapons. Its attack was 2700.  
  
"It doesn't look so tough," commented Duke.  
  
"Yes, but between its special abilities and Nesbit's magic cards, it has an attack of 5200!" warned Drake. "Perfect Machine King gains 500 attack points for every machine type monster on the field, and there's five!"  
  
"Oh dang..." muttered Duke. There was Perfect Machine King itself, Serenity's Forgiving Maiden and Lady Panther, Tristan's lingering Command Angel, and Duke's Dark Assailant, which had returned.  
  
"You can still win this," encouraged Lara. "Turn him into junk yard fodder!"  
  
"We're still playing this dice game," reminded Duke. "So roll if you want to attack me."  
  
"I will!" snapped Nesbit from within his fusion monster. He picked up the die and rolled a five. "Ha! A five! That has to be good!"  
  
"No, it's not," smirked Duke. "Rolling a five cuts your attack points in half."  
  
"That can't be right!" exclaimed Nesbit has his attack points dropped to 3850.  
  
"Yes it is," affirmed Drake. "I should know after all."  
  
"My roll," said Duke. "Go dice roll!" His die came to a stop on one. "No! Orgoth loses 1000 attack points!" His powerhouse dropped to 1500.  
  
"So long Orgoth!" exclaimed Nesbit as he blasted Orgoth straight to the graveyard. Duke's life points stopped at a slim 150.  
  
"This isn't good," thought Serenity. "Duke is in trouble. But if I try anything, I'll just mess it up again. I'm useless. I can't do anything right."  
  
"This is not good," agreed Duke, voicing his thoughts quietly. "Even my best monster couldn't beat him. Tristan's gone, Serenity's frozen, and I'm all out of ideas."  
  
"He hasn't won yet, so you can't give up!" yelled Drake.  
  
"What do you mean Tristan is gone?" asked Lara. Her eyes darted to Tristan's cards, which lingered on the field and it all fell into place. "Oh no!"  
  
"You don't mean..." gaped Drake.  
  
"You cannot stand up to a high tech machine like me," Nesbit said to Duke.

Stupid FF.N Deleting my scene dividers

"You're a fool Nesbit you know you're not a real robot. It's sad, you know deep down your nothing but a scared little man," Noah said to the screen.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Shayla asked. "Why are you helping them?"  
  
"I want revenge on Seto Kaiba!"  
  
"What did he ever do to you?"  
  
"He stole my life!"  
  
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You'll find out when I want you to!"  
  
Shayla was getting more irritated by the moment. She knew she was relatively safe in the cage, so her fear was dissipating. But it was still a cage.  
  
"If you have a problem with Kaiba you should confront him yourself instead of conning the Big 5 to do your dirty work," Shayla said. "What's in it for you by helping them leave here?" She couldn't bring herself to say 'in our bodies.'  
  
"It's all part of my plan."  
  
"That answer is beginning to tire me."  
  
"Your questions have already tired me! So do as your told and shut-up!"  
  
"You don't even seem to like the Big 5, why are you helping them?" asked Shayla. "You know they are nothing but a group of traitors. They turned on Kaiba, they turned on Pegasus, what makes you think they won't turn on you?"  
  
"They turned on Gozaburo before that," added Noah.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"None of your business! Now shut up!"

Stupid FF.N Deleting my scene dividers

"Serenity! It's your turn!" called Lara. Serenity wasn't responding.  
  
"This guy only gets to keep Tristan's body if he wins the duel," Duke said to Serenity.  
  
"Pull yourself together!" added Drake.  
  
"I'm such a screw-up," she moaned. "Tristan is gone...all because of me."  
  
"It's not your fault Serenity!" Duke told her.  
  
"She's given up, victory will be mine," Nesbit said.  
  
Serenity! Get up and fight this guy. If you don't, you lose!" Duke yelled.  
  
She has two minutes to comply. If she doesn't, I'll consider it a forfeit and she will join her friend," Nesbit said, smugly.  
  
"You can't just add to the rules like that!" snapped Drake. "There's no time limit on a person's turn!"  
  
"Silence human!" ordered Nesbit. "Your presence is unwelcome in this duel."  
  
"Can it tinhead!" Lara snapped back.  
  
"I know what may help...." Duke muttered. The louder he said, "Serenity, Tristan and I need you, like Joe needs you when he duels!"  
  
"Huh?" asked Serenity. Then she remembered how many times she had been there for Joe, especially when he was dueling against Odion.  
  
"My brother and I never give up on each other, so why should I give up when my friends need me?" Serenity thought. She took a deep breath and stood up.  
  
"Yes! Way to go Serenity!" cheered her three friends.  
  
"Its my move metal mouth," Serenity snapped as she drew her card.

Stupid FF.N Deleting my scene dividers

"Does Joe even have the slightest idea where he's going Yu-Gi?" Tea asked  
  
"I doubt it but at this point his guess is as good as mine," Yu-Gi replied.  
  
"I know how Noah loves these long corridor sections," said Kevin. "They all go nowhere until he wants you to leave them."  
  
"How long have you been stuck in here, Kevin?" asked Téa.  
  
"A few days...I think," the spiky haired blond answered. "It's a bit hard to tell, because Noah doesn't let time flow normally around here."  
  
"SERENITY!" yelled Joe.  
  
The end of the tunnel began to glow brightly.  
  
"Here comes the exit!" exclaimed Kevin  
  
FLASH! The cave opened into the hanger.  
  
"Now where are we?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"Guys! Look!" exclaimed Téa, pointing below them. There, Serenity was about to take her turn against Nesbit.  
  
"SERENITY! UP HERE!" Joe bellowed.  
  
"Joe! You're here!" exclaimed Serenity, turning around.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
"I'm fine....but Tristan...."  
  
"What happened to Tristan? Isn't he with you?!" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"Tristan....lost the duel," said Duke.  
  
"And now his body is ours!" added Nesbit.  
  
"You don't deserve it!" snapped Lara. "You lost to us!"  
  
"You're nothing but a cheat! You lost your chance!" added Drake.  
  
The four that arrived looked up to see the couple on the catwalk above them.  
  
"Drake! Lara!" exclaimed Téa.  
  
"Hi guys, good to see those goons didn't get any of you," replied Drake.  
  
"Who's the new kid?" asked Lara.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt this touching reunion, but I have a duel to win and a virtual world to escape," Nesbit said. "And I have a body to do that!"  
  
"He did his best, he was only trying to protect me," Serenity muttered, looking down sadly.  
  
"You should see if you could enter the duel and take Tristan's place to help them." Yu-Gi suggested to Joe.  
  
"Right, good thinking, Yug," replied Joe. "Hey metal brains! I'm entering this thing to take Tristan's place!"  
  
"Negative, intruders are forbidden to enter," Nesbit replied.  
  
"Grrr! You punk!" growled Joe.  
  
"He sort of sounds like a dog when he growls," commented Kevin.  
  
"Take that back this instant!!!" demanded Joe.  
  
"Don't make any canine comments," Téa whispered to Kevin.  
  
"I can see that," muttered Kevin.  
  
Joe turned back to his sister, "Listen Serenity, I'm going to be your guardian angel, way up here. So do your best and trust your instincts!"  
  
"Okay Joe," agreed Serenity.  
  
"You know, she is kind of cute," commented Kevin, but no one was listening to him.  
  
"Never mess with the Wheelers, tinman!" Joe exclaimed.  
  
"This one is for Tristan!" Serenity said as she looked at her hand.  
  
"Come on Serenity, I know you can do this," encouraged Duke.  
  
"As Joe and Yu-Gi would say I need to trust my cards." Serenity thought.  
  
"You already know all you need to know to beat this guy," Duke told her.  
  
Serenity's eyes went wide as she remembered talking about the game of Duel Monsters on her way to Battle City with Tristan. He had told her about tribute summons and fusion. She looked at her hand, realizing both were and option.  
  
"I want to summon one monster, but first I have to tribute my Lady Panther," said Serenity. "Now I can play Marie the Fallen One!" Serenity was doing Shayla proud. Her newest female monster appeared. Marie had coal black skin and raven wings. However, her hair was blonde and cut short around the ears. She wore a pink dress with a big white collar and lacy trim. She also had sandals that laced halfway up her calves. Her attack was 1700 and her defense was 1200.  
  
"A tribute summon, not bad for a first duel," commented Lara.  
  
"Now, all I need is Polymerization," muttered Serenity.  
  
The Goddess with the 3rd Eye placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can help you. As your Desk Master, I have the special ability of fusion. I can fuse your monsters together without the magic card Polymerization. You just need to discard one magic card to do so."  
  
"Okay!" agreed Serenity as she selected one card from her hand. "I discard this one card to activate my Deck Master's special ability!"  
  
"Fusion Vision activate!" exclaimed the goddess, her normal eyes opening to show their true color, deep red. The Forgiving Maiden and Marie the Fallen one melted together to create...  
  
"St. Joan!" exclaimed Drake.  
  
St. Joan had the same hairstyle as Marie, but not the unusual skin color. She wore glimmering steel armor with elegant gold trim. A long sword was in her hands. She looked beautiful and deadly. Her stats were 2800 and 2000.  
  
"Impressive," said Lara. "A fusion monster is no beginner's move."  
  
"She might even be better than her brother with some practice," agreed Drake.  
  
"I heard that!" Joe yelled up to them.  
  
Just then, Tristan's robot turned Command Angel began to glow, sending energy to St. Joan.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Serenity.  
  
"Command Angel's special ability finally kicked in!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. "It raises the attack of all fairy type monsters likes St. Joan." Serenity's fusion monster now had an attack of 3200.  
  
"Thanks Tristan," said Serenity.  
  
"Her monster still isn't strong enough to beat that mechanical menace," Kevin reminded them.  
  
"Hey guys, listen! I think I know how you can do this!" Yu-Gi said, scanning the field. "But you need Tristan's help! Trust me on this!"  
  
Duke looked at him like he had lost his mind for a moment. Then he glanced over to where Tristan had stood. The last card Tristan had played was still face down on the field.  
  
"That has to be it!" thought Duke. "I am putting all my faith into the one card!"  
  
"Now, I will activate my Deck Master's special ability," Duke announced. "First I have to discard two cards from my hand. Now, Strike Ninja, reveal Tristan's face down card!"  
  
Strike Ninja put its hands together and various symbols appeared. Tristan's face up card rose, revealing itself.  
  
"Rare Metal Soul! Yes!" exclaimed Duke.  
  
"That's a good card," commented Kevin.  
  
"That card raises St. Joan's attack points by 1000!" exclaimed Drake. "That means it equals Perfect Machine King!" Perfect Machine King had lost 1000 attack points from Serenity's tribute and fusion.  
  
"NO!" yelled Nesbit.  
  
"Do the honors, Serenity, and get rid of this rusty old pile of junk once and for all," Duke said.  
  
"Go, St. Joan, attack, Sword of the Just!" ordered Serenity.  
  
St. Joan jumped forward, dove wings appearing on her back. She charged Perfect Machine King. In a bright flash of light both fusion Duel Monsters started to disappear.  
  
"And since Machine King was his Deck Master, Nesbit loses!" exclaimed Yu- Gi.  
  
"You fools, I may be going off line, but I won Tristan's body," Nesbit said as he broke into data. The holograms of the duel vanished. Joe jumped off of the platform and ran to Serenity. The other three hurried after him, which was becoming a pattern for the day.  
  
"But...But we won!" she stammered.  
  
"That rotten cheater!" exclaimed Kevin.  
  
"Tristan...." said Duke.  
  
"You did an excellent job, sis," said Joe.  
  
"But I couldn't help Tristan."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll find him and get him back," said Téa.  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Serenity.  
  
"Of course! He's our friend," added Yu-Gi.  
  
"So how are we going to get down there?" Lara asked Drake.  
  
"The gauntlet," he answered. The pseudo-Millennial Gauntlet on his hand glittered, and he and Lara appeared on the ground floor with the group.  
  
"I guess we better get started trying to find Tristan," Duke was saying.  
  
"Where should we start?" asked Téa.  
  
"Anywhere is better than standing here," said Joe. "And the Big 5 will regret everything they've done!"  
  
"I believe I've said the same thing," said Lara.  
  
"Hello," said Kevin, approaching Lara and Serenity. "My name is Kevin Hunter. And what are the names of you two lovely ladies?"  
  
Serenity blushed a bit, and Lara looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"I'm Serenity," replied Serenity.  
  
"Pleased to meet you," said Kevin. "It's a very lovely name. In fact, Serenity was my mom's name."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes," nodded Kevin. He turned to Lara. "And you are?"  
  
"Lara Justina," she answered.  
  
"Another very pretty name, which fits because you are a very pretty girl," said Kevin.  
  
"Listen, if you two need any help..." Kevin trailed off as he looked passed Serenity and Lara. Drake, Duke, and Joe were standing behind the girls, glaring daggers at him and flexing knuckles. "...if you need any help...I'll be over here!" With that he hurried away.  
  
"He's weird," commented Serenity.  
  
"Very," agreed Lara. "So who is he and how did you find him?"  
  
"He says the Big 5 were using him as a guinea pig to test out this whole virtual world before we got brought here," answered Téa.  
  
"I don't believe that for one moment!" exclaimed Joe. "I bet he's a spy for them!"  
  
"Are we going to hang around here all day or are we going to go find Tristan?" asked Yu-Gi.  
  
"Let's go," agreed Drake. "It looked like the Big 5 are looking for rematches, so we need to find everyone as soon as we can and get out of here."  
  
"Reality is sounding very good about now," added Duke.

AN/ Thanks Phantom 1 for noticing that FF.N was once more making my life miserable by deleting my scene dividers.


	7. Dueling The Past

The gang had left the virtual hanger only to find themselves on the streets of Domino. The entire town seemed completely deserted of life, save for themselves.

"I'm glad your safe Serenity," said Joe.

"But Tristan…" she trailed off.

"Don't worry," said Yu-Gi. "We'll find him. His mind has to be around here somewhere."

"Yu-Gi's right," agreed Téa.

"You, kid," Drake said to Kevin. "You seem to know a lot about this place."

"Well, yeah," admitted Kevin. "I've been stuck here a while…"

"Where would they take Tristan?" asked Drake.

"Honestly, I have no idea," sighed Kevin.

"What do you mean you have no idea you little spy?!" demanded Joe, getting right in Kevin's face.

"I'm not a spy!" protested Kevin.

"Easy Joe, we can't prove who he is one way or another," said Duke.

"You want to know who I am?" asked Kevin. "Fine. My name is Kevin Hunter. I was one of the Battle City contestants until I got conned into this stupid game…had four locator cards too. My dad's name is Adam Hunter, and he's a former Duel Monsters champion in America, which is where I came from to enter this contest, Florida."

"Adam Hunter?" asked Drake. "I've heard that name before."

"You have Drake?" asked Lara. The redhead nodded.

"Drake?" asked Kevin. "As in Drake Pegasus? One of the greatest dragon duelists in the world?"

"Yes."

"Wow! I didn't realize it before!" exclaimed Kevin. "Pleased to meet you!" He started shaking Drake's hand. "I use a combination of dragons and warriors in my deck."

"I'd be interested in seeing you duel," said Drake. "If you're anything like your father, you shouldn't be half bad."

"I'm better than that!" protested Kevin.

"I also recognize that name, Adam Hunter," commented Yu-Gi. "Didn't he work in Egypt?"

"Yes he did, why do you ask?" asked Kevin. "My dad is an archaeologist."

"That's right!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. "My grandpa, Solomon Motou, talked about him a bit. Apparently he went on a dig with your dad and Prof. Hawkins."

"Solomon is your grandpa?" asked Kevin. "My dad always spoke really highly of him. He also kept talking about a theory they came up with, about Duel Monsters being linked to an ancient Egyptian game."

"Don't open that can of worms," groaned Duke.

"What do you mean?" asked Kevin.

Lara laughed, "Well, Mr. Pegasus _did_ base Duel Monsters off of an Egyptian Game."

Drake nodded, "Dad did a bit of exploring in Egypt before he adopted me, that's what… 'inspired' him."

"Wow! I had no idea!" exclaimed Kevin. He then glanced at the Millennial Puzzle. "That's the Eye of Horus."

Yu-Gi nodded, "My puzzle came from ancient Egypt. Grandpa brought it back and I put it together."

"Puzzle? You mean the Millennial Puzzle?" asked Kevin, stunned.

"You know about the Millennial Items?" gaped Drake.

"A little, some stuff my dad told me," admitted Kevin.

"I think you know too much for your own good!" exclaimed Joe.

"Brother!" protested Serenity.

"Sorry sis, but we have to be careful with those freaks running around," said Joe.

By this point in time the group had passed Domino City Hall. There was a large fountain in front of it. Without warning, the ground lurched violently. The teens were thrown off of their feet. The street cracked open, the water main broken. Geysers erupted, instantly flooding the street. The fountain exploded, forcing the group to cover their eyes. When they looked up, a Duel Monster was standing on the fountain spray. It was semi-humanoid, with green scales on its arms and legs. It wore a blue uniform with many protrusions on the joints that looked like fins. It wore a helmet much like a biker's.

"Gamesly!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"You mean one of the Big 5?!" exclaimed Joe.

"Let's get out of here!" suggested Duke. But after looking around, he realized that was impossible. The gaps in the road were too wide for them to jump. They also divided the group. Joe, Serenity, and Yu-Gi were on one section. Drake, Lara, and Duke were on another. Téa was alone on a third. Kevin was alone on the fourth segment, closest to Gamesly.

"Joe, I'm scared," moaned Serenity.

He put an arm around her. "I won't let him touch you."

"Great, just great," groaned Téa, looking at the lake that was forming. Fortunately, most of the water was draining down the cracks, but there was still enough to present a formidable barrier.

"What the heck do you want?!" demanded Drake.

"The same thing I have always wanted," smirked Gamesly. "A body to escape this virtual prison!"

"Then you're looking in the wrong place!" snapped Lara.

"Give back Tristan you freak!" demanded Joe.

Gamesly laughed, "Your friend's body is not in my possession. However, soon yours will be!" He pointed to Kevin.

"Never!" snapped Kevin.

"Impudent brat! You will duel me and when you lose your body will mine!" exclaimed Gamesly.

"Joe, I think this proves that Kevin is on our side," said Yu-Gi.

"Well…maybe…"

_/This shouldn't be, Yu-Gi,/_ said Yami. _/We already beat Gamesly. He shouldn't be allowed to duel anyone else./_

_/You're right Yami,/_ agreed Yu-Gi. "Gamesly! Leave him alone! You already lost a duel to us, so you can't duel Kevin!"

"Silence!" bellowed Gamesly. He turned back to Kevin. "Now prepare to lose!"

Kevin chuckled.

"What's so funny?!" demanded Gamesly.

"You," the blond replied. "I should have known it was only a matter of time before the last of you clowns showed up. None of you have beaten me yet, and you'll lose like the rest of them."

"You beat four of the Big 5 already?!" exclaimed Téa.

"Yup," admitted Kevin. "Which is part of the reason I've been here so long. They can't admit defeat."

"Stupid businessmen going for round two," said Lara, bitterly. "Liars all of them. We beat them all already, so they should let us go."

"They just change the rules to suit themselves," agreed Drake. "Then there's that brat…I don't like where any of this is heading."

"Kevin! Be careful!" called Yu-Gi as he activated his duel disk. "I've gone against Gamesly before, and…" A small watery explosion cut off his warning.

"There will be no helping the duelist!" spat Gamesly.

"I can handle him," said Kevin.

"Then let's duel!" said Gamesly. "Select your deck from the virtual database…"

"I know, I know," shot Kevin. "I've done it enough." He quickly reselected his deck from the cards in front of him. "And my Deck Master has not changed! Buster Blader!" His monster had dark blue and golden armor and wore a helmet that completely covered its head. On top of the helmet was two horns that looked like lightning bolts. In its hands was a thick sword as tall as it was.

"Since I have taken the form of a monster, I will be my own Deck Master," said Gamesly. "Deepsea Warrior."

"Let's duel!" exclaimed Kevin.

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"Fools, I have them all right where I want them," Noah smirked as he watched the group on the screen. He then looked over at the Kaiba brothers, who were still roaming a virtual forest.

"I know the Big 5 want to use us to escape this place. But what about that Noah kid?" Mokuba asked Seto. "Who is he and what is he getting out of this?" His older brother did not reply. "Seto…Did you here me?"

"I heard your question Mokuba, I have no answer," said Seto, icily. "If I had to guess, I'd say he wants what's mine. Just like everyone else, he wants to be as powerful as I am. What puzzles me is how he created this place. There is no way that punk created a virtual universe on his own."

"Maybe the Big 5 helped him?" Mokuba suggested.

"I doubt it. Those old fools couldn't pull this off," Kaiba said. "Granted, it's only a copy of the virtual technology I created, but someone else is involved and it's only a matter of time until I find them."

"I'll help you Seto, come on," Mokuba said as he started running.

"That's a good point," commented Shayla, hearing as much of all the conversations as Noah did. "How did you make this place? Did you copy Kaiba Corp.'s software?"

"None of your business!" snapped Noah.

"Is someone helping you?" asked Shayla, trying to remain calm and keep her tone steady.

"No!" replied Noah. "I don't need anyone's help."

"That's a lie," Shayla replied. "So someone is helping you. Who is it?"

"No one!"

"I will always know when you're lying," Shayla said. "You can't hope to hide anything from me."

Noah gritted his teeth and resumed typing from his control terminal.

"Hey Seto, what's that?" Mokuba asked as he ran to a door that had appeared. "It looks like a way out!"

"Mokuba! Slow down!" his brother cautioned.

"It's probably an emergency exit, back to the real world!" Mokuba exclaimed, happily.

"Stop right there! We have to be careful!" Kaiba warned as he opened the door.

"I can't see, it's too bright!" Mokuba complained.

"What are you doing?" Shayla asked Noah.

Noah laughed, "My program has finished scanning his memories. Now, I'm going to force him to face his past!"

"That's absolutely sick!" Shayla growled.

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The light faded and the Kaiba brothers found themselves at the last place they ever wanted to see again. It was a single story, white building. A high fence ran around the grounds. Children's toys were scattered in various corners of the yard.

"I know this place…it's the orphanage we grew up in," Mokuba said, sadly. "I never knew it was still around."

"It's a trick, a cheap virtual illusion like everything else," Kaiba grumbled. "But how did Noah find out we once lived here?"

"I don't believe it," Mokuba moaned. "I was hoping I'd never have to see this place again."

"I told you Mokuba, this orphanage is just a virtual illusion and nothing more," Kaiba said, tersely.

"It still brings back bad memories," Mokuba said. "Why did we get sent there in the first place?"

"After our parents died, there was no one left to take care of us. So we got dumped off here until they could find another family to take us in," Kaiba explained, bitterly.

"I'll never forget the day I first saw this place. It was the worst day of my entire life," Mokuba admitted.

"Welcome boys," said a voice from behind them.

"Huh?" asked the two, turning around

"Someone is here Seto," commented Mokuba.

The brothers were in for one of the biggest virtual shocks in their life. Two adults were standing by the gate, with two young boys between them.

" Mokuba! It's us!" gasped Kaiba, recognizing the young versions of themselves. "Somehow Noah was able to tap into our memories and replay events from our past!"

The people faded and the sun set, but the majority of the scenery did not change. Kevin had been right when he said Noah did not let time flow normally in this virtual world.

"I remember now," sighed Mokuba, watching the six-year old version of himself sitting in a swing in the corner, all alone. _"On our first day here I sat in that swing all day. But how could Noah have known that? I was alone the entire time. The only other person who saw me there was Seto. Actually, Seto was the only one who cared about me."_

"Moki!" called twelve-year-old Kaiba, walking up to his younger brother.

"Hey Seto…How did you know I was out here?" asked young Mokuba, looking a bit dejected.

"Lucky guess…Hey pal, cheer up. We've got to make the most of this place. Come on, let's take a little walk," suggested young Seto, rubbing his brother's head.

Once again, time seemed to jump ahead. The young Kaiba brothers were walking along a bridge over a small river. The two real Kaiba brothers looked a bit irked, and a bit unsure.

"Okay, spill it. What's on your mind?" asked young Kaiba.

"I miss mom and dad," sniffed young Mokuba. "I wish that they were here with us right now. It's not fair that they left us here all alone."

" Come on, no crying. Tears aren't going to help us now," said young Kaiba. "There's only one way you and I are going to get through all of this. We've got to get tough. Emotions will only get in the way of our survival."

"Tough?" asked young Mokuba

"That's right. Don't expect anyone else to help us ever again," young Seto told him. "You and I are on our own now."

" I guess that was your idea of a Pep talk," older Mokuba said to his brother. "Thanks a lot…"

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"Fools! This is just the beginning of my torture!" laughed Noah.

"You are completely insane," Shayla said. That didn't bode well for her, since she was his prisoner. "I wonder if you even have a heart…"

"No one asked for your opinion!"

"Tough luck, you got it," she replied, tersely. Her head tilted a bit to the screen that showed the Kaiba brothers. _"That explains a little."_

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"I'll start this duel by playing one monster face down in defense mode," said Gamesly. "As former vice president of business for Kaiba Corp. I know how to handle my resources. And I duel the same way."

"For all the good that that will do you," said Kevin. "I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in attack mode!" His monster looked mechanical, with bulky pink armor and wicked talons. The head was relatively small, but still filled with razor-like teeth. Its stats were 1600 and 1200.

"Not a bad monster to start out with," commented Drake.

"But remember, he's playing by their rules," said Lara. "And we don't know what either of their Deck Masters can do."

"Ryu-Kishin!" ordered Kevin. "Attack his face down card now!"

The large fiend charged the face down card hologram. In a flash a cartoon parrot was revealed and disappeared.

"Thank you," said Gamesly. "Although that was a rather poor business decision for you. You activated Ishinigrade's flip effect, meaning you have to place one card in your hand in the graveyard." (AN/ I am completely guessing at the spelling of his monsters. I swear he invented these!)

"Fine," answered Kevin, sliding one card into his graveyard.

"Not only that, but I get to summon another Ishinigrade to the field," said Gamesly, placing his second Ishingrade on his duel disk.

"Here we go again," groaned Yu-Gi.

"What do you mean Yug?" asked Joe.

"Gamesly believes in having a lot of monsters," said Yu-Gi. "But he does not respect them. He discards them carelessly. It is just sad."

"Well, I guess we'd better cheer Kevin on then," agreed Joe.

"Right," agreed Téa, who was close enough to hear them without being able to join them. "Come on! Pound that guy!"

"My turn," said Gamesly as he drew his card. "Ah, a very profitable investment. I summon Nimble Momonga to the field." His monster could easily pass itself off as a flying squirrel. Its attack was 1000 and its defense was 100.

"That puny little thing is the best you've got?!" exclaimed Joe.

"On the contrary Mr. Wheeler, Nimble Momonga is a rather useful investment," said Gamesly.

"What are you, some kind of stock broker?!" yelled Duke. "This is Duel Monsters! Not Monopoly!"

"Chill guys, I can handle that rodent," said Kevin.

"Then prove it," smirked Gamesly.

"Fine! I summon Spear Dragon to the field in attack mode!" yelled Kevin. His dragon was a cross between blue and green, with a snout that was shaped exactly like its namesake, a spear. Its stats were 1900 and 0.

"You have to be careful when you attack with Spear Dragon!" warned Drake. Kevin nodded. Spear Dragon automatically got turned to defense mode when it attacked.

"Ryu-Kishin Powered, attack the Nimble Momonga!" ordered Kevin. His fiend once again charged forward, claws raised.

"Kevin! No!" yelled Yu-Gi. "He has two monsters on the field!"

"Huh?" asked Kevin.

"Activate Deck Master's special ability, Reflector Hole!" exclaimed Gamesly.

"What the heck?!" demanded Kevin.

Gamesly's two monsters disappeared, and a black void appeared in front of Ryu-Kishin Powered. Kevin's monster disappeared in the void. A millisecond later the hole appeared in front of Kevin. His monster charged out of it, slashing Kevin across his chest. He cried out in pain and surprise and slid to one knee.

"Kevin!" exclaimed the spectators.

"That was a low trick you creep!" exclaimed Kevin.

Gamesly laughed, "My Deck Master's special ability will turn all your monsters against you, and deal direct damage!"

"Aw man, that means he's almost down to half his life points!" exclaimed Joe.

"Look again!" said Yu-Gi.

Kevin's life points were only at 3200.

"What?! How is that possible?! You should have lost 1600 life points!" exclaimed Gamesly.

Kevin smirked. "You forgot about _my_ Deck Master. Buster Blader cuts all direct attacks in half." Buster Blader stood behind him, sword gleaming menacingly.

"Nice choice," complimented Duke.

"That is the only wise business venture you have made," said Gamesly. "But I've been in business since before you were born! I can crush my competition in my sleep! It won't be long before you go under! You won't last against my wise investing. Nimble Momonga, when sent to the graveyard, increased my life points reserve by 1000!" He know had 5000 life points.

"Can you at all, possible, consider talking like a normal person for once?" asked Téa. Gamesly ignored her.

"I also get to summon another Nimble Momonga to the field," said Gamesly, his second flying squirrel appearing.

Kevin smirked, "You've forgotten one thing, Mr. Business."

"And what is that?"

"It costs you two monsters to activate your Deck Master's special ability," said Kevin. "And currently, you have one!"

"Oh?"

"You've left yourself wide open for an attack!" exclaimed Kevin. "And I'm going to make it good! I activate Dragon Treasure, raising the stats of Spear Dragon by 500 points!"

"Way to go!" cheered Serenity.

"Thanks," replied Kevin. "Now Spear Dragon, attack!" His monster leapt into the air, targeting the rodent. There was a yell and a flash of light as Gamesly was nearly pushed off of his perch on top of the fountain's spray. Nimble Momonga disappeared into bits of data. Deepsea Warrior dropped to 3600 life points. "Ha! Take that!"

"Foolish whelp!" exclaimed Gamesly. "I led you to attack me!"

"What are you jabbering about now?" demanded Joe.

"It's his monster's special ability," said Lara. "He gains another 1000 life points, and can summon another Nimble Momonga to the field."

"Correct," said Gamesly. "It appears the lady has more business sense than the lot of you combined!" His third Nimble Momonga appeared, and his life points rose to 4600.

"That's not all," sighed Yu-Gi.

"What do you mean?" asked Téa.

Gamesly answered, "Since I lost more than 1000 life points, I can summon Ruclamba the Spirit King to the field!"

"You what?!" demanded Kevin.

Gamesly's Ruclamba appeared next to his rodent. It was a cross between a snake and an alligator. It had green scales and curved claws and sat upright on its coils. It also had bluish hair. Its stats were 1000 and 2000.

"When I was working for Kaiba Corp., I always liked to have a large work force, so I could adjust it as I pleased," said Gamesly. "And that is how I duel. If one monster will not suffice, there will always be another."

"There's one problem with your deck!" exclaimed Drake. "You have so many monsters in it, you don't have enough magic and trap cards! That's a poor business decision." Drake smirked. "You always were a bit senile, Gamesly."

"When I escape to the real world in this brat's body, I'll personally see to the destruction of Industrial Illusion!" exclaimed Gamesly. "That will wipe the smirk off of your face."

"You couldn't handle it once, what makes you think you'll do any better now?" challenged Lara.

"Your business decisions have always been lousy," added Drake. "And look where its gotten you, trapped in a virtual world."

"Don't start talking like him now!" exclaimed Joe.

"You know this walking fish stick?" Kevin asked Drake.

"Don't ask," Drake and Lara replied together, coldly.

"Fine…" shrugged Kevin. "I play one card face down and that will end my turn."

"Meet Yowe!" said Gamesly as he placed his next monster on the duel disk. A lizard with hard, scaly armor appeared with his other two. What was unusual about it was the fact that it had six legs. Its attack was the same as its defense at 500 points.

"I prefer quality over quantity in my monsters," said Kevin. "Yours are nothing but weaklings!"

"We'll see who's the weakest!" countered Gamesly. "First I set this card. Now, Ruclamba, attack the Spear Dragon!"

"What is he thinking?!" exclaimed Duke. "His monster is 900 attack points weaker than Kevin's!"

"But Gamesly isn't aiming at Spear Dragon's attack points," said Yu-Gi. "He's using Spear Dragon's defense points!"

"I don't understand," said Serenity.

"Spear Dragon is moved to defense mode after it attacks," called Drake.

The lizard and the dragon clashed and in a bright flash of light, Spear Dragon was gone. Luckily for Kevin, it was in defense mode so he lost no life points and felt no pain.

"Since an attack was declared, I can activate the trap card I just played," said Gamesly.

"A trap card? Not good," said Joe.

"Activate Compulsory Evacuation!" yelled Gamesly. "This send Ryu-Kishin Powered right back into your hand!"

"Oh no!" gasped Kevin as his monster disappeared from the field.

"He's got no monsters left!" exclaimed Duke.

"Hang in there Kevin!" called Téa.

"Attack his life points directly, Nimble Momonga!" ordered Gamesly. The squirrel leapt into the air, and slashed at Kevin's face. He jerked backwards, trying to get away from it. Luckily, his Buster Blader was there to reduce the life point loss. His life points dropped to 2700.

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"I'm glad I hired you to do my dirty work, Gamesly," Noah commented, watching from the safety of his surveillance room.

"Big words coming from someone who just sits there," muttered Shayla.

"Like you did anything else?" Noah shot.

"What are you planning?" Shayla asked. "You're hiding behind the Big 5, and I know that someone else is helping you. So what do you hope to gain?"

"My life and everything that was stolen from me!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Shayla.

"None of your concern!" he snapped.

"Enough games Noah!" called Kaiba, his shouts coming through the screen. "Come here and face me."

"Enjoy the trip down memory lane," said Noah as he hit a few buttons.

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"Now what?" asked Mokuba.

"Sorry, check mate," said young Seto. The real Kaiba brothers looked through a window and watched as they played chess together in the past. Kaiba's eyes narrowed, a scowl forming across his face.

"Again?" asked young Mokuba. "And in just five moves this time! You have got to be the best chess player in the whole entire world!"

"Almost," shrugged young Kaiba,

"Oh yeah? Name someone better than you?" challenged young Mokuba.

"You for one, Moki," said young Kaiba, ruffling his brother's hair. "If you would pay attention."

"Fine, let's play again," conceded young Mokuba.

xxxx

"These visions must be painful to watch," Noah chuckled. "I bet Seto Kaiba has never experienced virtual software that interacts with a person's memories. It's just what I need to destroy him once and for all. I've been waiting for this day for what feels like an eternity. His empire will be mine. Keep watching your past Seto."

"That is absolutely nauseating," Shayla said. "No one, absolutely no one has the right to toy with people's minds like that."

"The thief deserves it!" snapped Noah.

"No one deserves that," Shayla said, once again thinking of Mai. "You have no idea what you are doing."

xxxxx

"Your move, Moki," said young Seto.

"Okay, I'll go here," said young Mokuba, moving one of his pieces.

" Hmm…." young Kaiba considered his next move. In the silence the TV could be heard.

"And he did it again folks. Gozaburo Kaiba has retained his title as world chess champion," said the announcer. "The corporate genius and world champ is a master strategist and hasn't lost a single match. He has made the claim that there isn't a person alive who can beat him. Make no mistake, this business tycoon has a heart of gold. Here he is donating a portion of his winnings to a local orphanage. I'm sure he just made a lot of children very happy."

_"That's the day that changed my life forever. I met my stepfather for the first time,"_ thought Kaiba as he watched his own memories.

Once again time jumped ahead at Noah's command. The scene had not changed, they were still at the orphanage. But Gozaburo had just arrived and was walking through the gates.

" Look Seto, it's him," groaned Mokuba.

"Welcome Mr. Kaiba," greeted one of the virtual workers.

"It's just a cheap virtual projection," Kaiba said with gritted teeth. "That's all, because he's long gone."

"This way sir, the children are this way," said the worker, oblivious to the watchers. "They'll be thrilled to meet you."

"Look, I don't want any of these brats touching me," snapped Gozaburo. "Let's just take a few pictures for the papers and I'll be on my way. Time is money you know." They walked across the porch to the main office. A side door opened and young Seto and Mokuba poked their heads out, watching. "What is that stench? You do bathe these little urchins, don't you?"

" That man is our ticket out of this dump Moki," said young Seto, watching him.

"But how?" asked young Mokuba. "He's just here to visit, not to adopt anyone."

"I'll make sure he takes us," said young Kaiba, fire burning in his blue eyes.

"What? But how?" asked young Mokuba.

"Just follow me and do what I say bro," said young Seto. "Okay…Gozaburo, it's time to match wits with me and lose at your own game." He gathered his courage and approached the businessman. "Good afternoon Mr. Kaiba."

"Yeah, I suppose, now if you'll excuse me kid, I'm in a rush," replied Gozaburo, huffily.

"I have a challenge for you and I know you never pass one up," said young Seto.

"Hmm? Yes, go on," said Gozaburo, curiously.

"Here's what I propose," said young Seto. "One game of chess, me against you. If I win, you adopt my brother and me today, no questions asked."

Gozaburo laughed, "That's a good one. No one beats me at chess kid, and I've been playing it for years. I was the world champion when you were sucking your thumb. You're in over your head kid." He glowered at the boy. "What makes you think you can beat me?"

"Because I never lose either," replied young Seto, confidently. "What do you say?"

The worker who had been escorting Gozaburo around was sweating bullets he was so nervous.

"Well, you certainly have a great deal of confidence. I have to give you credit for that," commented Gozaburo. "But I'm a busy man and baby-sitting for you isn't on my schedule."

"So you're going to back down? Wait until the newspapers find out you're scared of a kid," said young Seto.

"What's that?!" demanded Gozaburo. "You wouldn't dare tell them that! I have a reputation to uphold you brat!" He could see the fire in Seto's eyes. He knew the kid would tell. "All right then, let's play kid. One match, one chance only."

"That's all I need," smirked young Seto.

"Set us up in a quiet room, now!" Gozaburo ordered the worker

"Sure…yes…right…" stammered the worker as he scurried away.

"Let's get this game over with," said Gozaburo as he walked inside.

"Pretty impressive for a twelve-year-old," commented Kaiba as he watched.

" What made you so sure you were going to beat Gozaburo at chess Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"My desire to win that game was far greater than his Mokuba. By challenging Gozaburo I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, to Gozaburo it was just a game," said Kaiba, in his most popular tone.

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"Arrogant jerk," muttered Shayla. She had spent enough time in an orphanage herself to know what it was like to have people like Gozaburo come through. They only felt charitable when it earned them a tax cut. She had quickly learned to hide when they came to visit. After all, the newspapers seemed to have a field day when it came to blind orphans.

"I know," agreed Noah, thinking she was talking about Seto Kaiba. "He doesn't deserve anything that he has! And soon, I will reclaim it!"

"If you want arrogance, why don't you use a mirror?" suggested Shayla.

"How can you be defending Seto?" asked Noah. "I would think you would understand by now that he cares about nothing but himself. That's why he has all of this coming to him!"

Shayla did know there was some truth to that statement, however, she wasn't about to agree with Noah. "And you think you're any better? That only proves your pride." Then something clicked. "You said before that the Big 5 betrayed Gozaburo."

"What if I did?" asked Noah, who was back to typing.

"What happened then?"

"When the time is right…"

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"This won't take too long junior," said Gozaburo, sarcastically.

"Those were my thoughts exactly, 'pops'," retorted young Seto. "Your move." The chess board was set. The game was about to begin

"After you," said Gozaburo. "You'll need all the help you can get."

"Pawn to E3," declared young Kaiba.

"That's my opening move kid," said Gozaburo, waspishly.

"I know," said young Kaiba. "I've studied all your matches."

"Studying is one thing," replied Gozaburo, taking his first move like he always did. "Mastering is another."

The game started, young Kaiba playing his hardest, Gozaburo watching him condescendingly.

"I had his strategies memorized," commented Kaiba as he watched from outside.

"Check mate," declared young Kaiba. "You lose."

"No!" exclaimed Gozaburo, stunned. "How could _you_ beat _me_?!"

"Now you have to adopt us like you promised Mr. Kaiba," said young Seto.

"That was the day I took control of my future," said the non-virtual Kaiba.

"Well, it was also the day you stopped calling me Moki," said Mokuba, a bit harshly.

"If it wasn't for me, we never would have escaped that rat hole," said Kaiba. "I turned our lives around that day." Mokuba shook his head and walked towards the door the lead into the orphanage. He looked ticked. "Hey! Come back!"

"I liked the way it was before we got here!" snapped Mokuba, using a tone he never used with his brother before. "At least back then, you actually smiled once and a while!"

Kaiba took a deep breath, "Wait a second Mokuba, get a grip. You're going to fall right into Noah's trap. He's using these illusions to turn us against each other. It's fake! The past is over!" Mokuba turned to the door and pulled it open.

Then, he dropped out of sight, screaming. The door had opened to a cliff on the ocean's edge.

"Mokuba!" yelled Kaiba, grabbing his brother's arm before he could plunge.

"Don't let go!" begged Mokuba.

"I've got you…Don't look down," called Kaiba as he began to pull his brother to safety

"Too late!" cried Mokuba. "I can't hold on much longer."

Kaiba pushed against the ground and Mokuba landed safely with him. The orphanage was gone. Nothing was around them save crashing waves far below and rocky, barren land.

"You're safe," said Kaiba, breathing a bit heavily.

"Thanks, Seto," replied Mokuba, who seemed a bit shaken.

"This place is more dangerous than I thought," commented Kaiba. "Somehow, Noah has accessed virtual software that replicates the sensation of touch." He stood up. "I know you can here me Noah! You won't get away with this you little twerp!"

"I thought we had the latest virtual software Seto," said Mokuba. "This place seems way more real than any cyber environment I've ever seen in my entire life! If you hadn't grabbed my arm…I don't know what would have happened to me, thanks Seto." Tears were forming in his eyes.

"I don't know what game Noah is playing, but it is not Duel Monsters!" growled Kaiba. "That punk! He doesn't know who he is up against! Hear that Noah?! You'll never succeed! I'll make sure of it!" He turned to his brother. "Mokuba…"

"What's up big brother?" asked Mokuba as he stood up and followed his brother.

"No matter what you see from this point forward I want you to remember this: the past is over, and I may not be proud of every decision I made, but everything I did, I did for us, so we would have a better life," Kaiba said, emotionlessly. "Now let's move ahead and don't look back."

"Okay…" replied Mokuba, warily.

"I have a feeling the worst is yet to come," commented Kaiba.

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"You have so much to learn," smirked Noah.

"That last line is a sure bet that things are going to get ugly," Shayla muttered, quietly.

"Can you believe him?" asked Noah. "Blackmailing Gozaburo into adopting him…tsk."

Shayla shrugged. She couldn't help but find similarities from her stay at an orphanage and the Kaiba's. She knew what it was like to be willing to do anything to escape from a place like that. Granted, she didn't approve of Kaiba's choice of guardian, but she could not condemn him for his actions.

_"No one ever wanted me,"_ she thought, bitterly.

"Seto thinks he has everything in control, right from the beginning," continued Noah. "Well, I'm going to prove him dead wrong! It's only fair, after what he did to me, and Gozaburo, and the…"

"Why are _you_ defending Gozaburo?" asked Shayla. _"Besides, he's not one to talk to me about 'fair.'"_

Noah fell completely silent. He hadn't realized Shayla would pick up on so much. And it seemed like all his denials would only reaffirm the truth to her. He hadn't realized she could be so …dangerous to keep around. Yet he needed her, it was all part of the plan.

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"I will play one monster face down in attack mode," said Kevin as he slid his newest monster onto the duel disk. A card hologram appeared in front of him, in front of his face down magic card. _"I can't attack, Gamesly had three monsters on the field, and he'll just reflect my attack!"_

"Kevin's in a tight spot," said Duke, making the same observation.

"Come on Kevin! I know you can win this!" encouraged Yu-Gi.

"You'll never win," said Gamesly. "First, I move my Yowe into attack mode."

"But that monster only has 500 attack points," said Serenity, sounding confused.

"By moving it to attack mode, I activate it's special ability," said Gamesly. "You cannot draw a card next turn!"

Kevin glared at him.

Gamesly laughed, "This is why big business always triumphs. I tribute my Yowe and Nimble Momonga to summon Rainbow Snake and Ganna!" A huge green snake appeared in front of Gamesly, beside his Ruclamba. It had a line and circle pattern on its scales which looked vaguely Indian. It was so massive it curled around the Gamesly's side of the field, behind him, and loamed over the entire duel. It had 2200 attack points.

"No! Now he gains another 1000 life points for sending that rodent to the graveyard!" exclaimed Téa. That was true. Gamesly now had 5600 life points.

"And he can summon another Nimble Momonga, giving him three monsters!" added Duke.

"No he can't," smirked Kevin. "Because according to Duel Monster rules, you can only have a maximum of three of any kind of card. And you've already used your third Nimble Momonga." He laughed. "There's none left in your deck to summon!"

"That's right!" cheered Drake. "And I noticed he didn't summon Ishinigrade, which means he only had two in his deck to begin with!"

"Not enough magic and trap cards, and limited on repeated summoning of your favorite monsters…your deck is pathetic!" exclaimed Joe.

"A simpleton like yourself cannot fathom the costs of running an effective business," said the Deepsea Warrior. "Let me educate you, using your friend as an example!"

"Bring it on wise guy," snapped Kevin.

"As you wish," smirked Gamesly under the helmet. "Rainbow Snake and Ganna, bind his face down monster!" The snake did as it was told. It lashed forward, wrapping Kevin's monster in its coils.

The monster revealed itself as Slate Warrior. It was an unusually colorful warrior, with bright yellow shoulder pads and collar. It wore a blue helmet that fit its face snuggly. Its stats were 1900 and 1400.

Rainbow Snake and Ganna continued to crush Slate Warrior. Then, there was a bright flash of light. Data bits flew. The light faded. Slate Warrior stood.

"What is the meaning of this?!" demanded Gamesly.

"You activated Slate Warrior's special ability," smirked Kevin. "When Slate Warrior is flipped over, it gains 300 attack and defense points. That made it 200 points stronger than your monster." Sure enough, Gamesly's life points dropped to 5400.

"But that effect only lasts to the end of this turn," said Yu-Gi.

"He can handle it, Yug," said Joe. "The runt's been doing pretty good so far."

"Consider that luck," spat Gamesly. "But I do not rely on luck in my duels or in my business. I activate Premature Burial to bring back my Rainbow Snake and Ganna! And next turn, it will eliminate all your monsters!"

"He has two monsters on the field," Serenity observed. "That means he can use his special ability!"

"Yes, but it will cost him his most powerful monster," commented Drake.

"I summon Drillago to the field!" announced Kevin. In a flash his monster appeared next to Slate Warrior. A mechanical monster with drills on every possible square inch of its body appeared in front of Kevin. Its stats were 1600 and 1100. Kevin then paused, considering his next move.

"What's the matter boy? Competition keeping you guessing?" smirked Gamesly.

"Attack his Ruclamba, Drillago!" ordered Kevin. The mechanical Duel Monster began to bore down on the reptilian one.

"You are an idiot!" exclaimed Gamesly. "I activate my special ability, Reflector Hole!"

Drillago disappeared into the void, only to reappear in front of Kevin, attacking him. Kevin gasped in pain and slid to the ground. But his own Deck Master's ability kicked in, sparing him some life points. Kevin now had 1900.

"Kevin! Are you okay?!" called the group.

"Fine…" he groaned as he struggled to his feet.

Gamesly laughed, "You might as well give up now! You cannot hope to compete with my superior planning."

"Trying to con an opponent into giving up is a sure sign of cowardice," spat Kevin. "And you're completely defenseless. So, Slate Warrior, attack his life points directly!"

"AGH!" gasped Gamesly as Slate Warrior slashed at him, dropping him down to 3500 life points.

"Show him who's in control!" cheered Duke.

"Kick Big 5 tail!" added Drake.

"He won't be able to recover now!" cheered Téa.

"You're forgetting," said Yu-Gi. "He can now special summon another Ruclamba to the field because he lost more than 1000 life points." As he spoke, the alligator-like creature appeared in front of Gamesly.

"An annoyance," grumbled Kevin.

Gamesly laughed as he drew his next card. "Get ready to lose everything! This next monster is an invaluable asset! It will force you under in a New York minute!"

"I doubt that," shrugged Kevin.

"I summon Don Turtle to the field!" announced Gamesly. A red and gold turtle appeared next to his Ruclamba. It hardly seemed intimidating, considering it only had an attack of 1100. Its defense wasn't much better at 1200.

Kevin was choking back laughter. "That's your frightening monster?"

"Now to activate its special ability!" declared Gamesly. Two more Don Turtles appeared beside it.

"Now that can be trouble," said Duke. "Kevin will never be able to get through his defenses to get to his life points!"

"Yes, but all of Gamesly's monsters are too weak to attack Kevin," Yu-Gi pointed out.

"A stale mate?" asked Drake. "Somehow, I doubt that."

"Now, to crush my competition!" smirked Gamesly. "I activate Offerings to the Doomed. By discarding one card in my hand, I can send any one of your monsters to the graveyard!"

"You can think that," said Kevin. Then he smirked back. "I activate Magic Jammer! By discarding one card in _my_ hand, I can negate your magic card!" Gamesly frowned.

"Nice job!" cheered Téa.

"He's just stalling!" added Lara. "There's no way that piece of worm chow will win!"

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"I feel like I haven't eaten in months," complained Mokuba as he walked through the virtual forest with Seto Kaiba. It seemed to be Noah's favorite setting for them. But then they arrived at a clearing. A small cottage sat in it. "Hey, do you think anyone is serving food in that shack?"

"I doubt it," replied Kaiba, simply. "Hmm… a house in the middle of the woods. This seems a little too convenient."

"Do you think it is another one of Noah's virtual traps?" asked Mokuba.

"Just let me open it and stay right next to me Mokuba," said Kaiba. Mokuba did so. Kaiba opened the door. The small cottage opened to reveal a large manor inside. They were standing in the main hall, which was lit by a chandelier. A large staircase covered with red carpet was on the opposite side of the room. But for the most part their was minimal furnishings. "What?! Hold on! It's our stepfather's old house!" Kaiba seemed to be taken back by the place.

"Another blast from our past," groaned Mokuba. Then he noticed people walking. There was a potato-shaped butler, leading young Seto. Mokuba was behind him, trying to hide in his brother's shadow. "Look! It's a virtual projection of our first day in this house!"

"That's right!" agreed Kaiba, still unnerved. "It's the day Gozaburo took us home from the orphanage."

"It was no picnic…" said Mokuba, looking down.

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"You actually thought you were ready to play in the big leagues," smirked Noah.

"I don't know what you are trying to achieve here, but you are setting yourself up for failure," said Shayla, tersely.

"You are in no position to be talking about failures!" snapped Noah.

"Trust me, there are a whole lot worse things running around in reality that I've come in contact with," said Shayla, trying to sound calm.

"I don't need your comments!"

"Odd…my scales say that you do," said Shayla, who was a bit surprised herself. His last statement had been a complete lie. "You need someone to talk to?" she asked sarcastically.

"No!"

A blatant lie. Shayla was confused by it.

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"Now, if a train from Boston is traveling at 180 mph and a train from New York is traveling at …" a tutor droned on. Young Seto was slowly falling asleep in his textbook. He had been working for hours without a break and was at him limit.

"Wake up!" snapped the butler. "I sincerely apologize for interrupting your lesson professor, it seems young Seto was more concerned with the backs of his eyelids. Continue. I have strict orders. My boss has no patients for slackards."

"I don't slack!" snapped young Seto.

Once again, time jumped ahead by hours. They were now in the dining hall. The table was long and laden. Gozaburo sat at the head like a king. Seto and Mokuba were at the far end, not that they were complaining.

"I hear you are falling behind in your studies, so you'll no longer have the weekends off, starting immediately," said Gozaburo, harshly.

"But… I've been working so hard!" protested young Seto.

"Not hard enough!" yelled Gozaburo. "You must have discipline Seto, it's the only way to crush your enemies!"

"But I don't have enemies!" argued young Seto.

"Of course you do! You're just not aware of them yet! You have to learn that you can trust no one at all! Including me!" growled Gozaburo. He turned to the butler. "Hopsin! Confiscate Seto's toys immediately! "

"Yes sir," replied the butler with a bow.

"Now you will concentrate on your studies instead of wasting your brain away!" yelled Gozaburo. Young Kaiba was glaring at him venomously.

The walls blurred and reformed. The Kaiba brothers were now it Seto's room, a while later the same evening.

"That ought to do it," said Hopsin, boxing up all of Seto's toys. "It's for your own good. Your stepfather is a very wise man and I think he knows what's best for you. I'd advise you not to disappoint him."

Young Kaiba was glaring daggers at his back, looking like he was ready to punch the potato-shaped man.

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"That explains a lot," murmured Shayla.

"Brat…" muttered Noah, watching the screens.

"You had better be referring to Gozaburo," replied Shayla, still putting on a front.

"He's only treating Seto like he deserves to be treated!"

"I don't know what problem you have with Kaiba, but whatever it is, you are going about it in all the wrong ways. Take my word on it, you will be a whole lot better off confronting him yourself, no tricks. And I don't lie."

"Will you just be quiet?!" She was striking way too many nerves for his comfort.

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_"The way they treat Seto stinks, but I know how to make him smile,"_ thought young Mokuba. He looked out his bedroom window to see the light still on in his brother's at this late hour. Young Mokuba grabbed something on his bedside table and slipped into the hall.

There, he leaned against the wall. The butler appeared, walking his way.

"W_ell, here it goes," _thought Mokuba. "Excuse me…"

"Hey, back to bed," ordered Hopsin.

"Okay, but first I have to give Seto his textbook back," said young Mokuba, holding out the object in his hand. "You heard dad, got to study, study, study."

"I'll see that he gets it," said the butler, taking the book. "Now off to bed!"

In Seto's room, he collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted.

_"If I see one more textbook I think I'm going to barf_," he thought with a groan

"Sleeping? Already?" asked Hopsin, walking in. "You still have one more lesson left tonight. And you left this textbook behind, if I were you, I'd be more careful next time." He set the book in front of Seto.

"Whatever you say Hopsin," replied young Seto, apathetically.

"Your next lesson is in one hour," said Hopsin on his way out.

"I can't take this!" exclaimed young Seto, throwing the book across the room. It popped open and several small pieces of paper fell out. Curious, young Kaiba walked over and picked them up. One was a note, which he began reading.

'Dear Seto, I guess you've found my hiding place. Remember big bro, they can't take away everything from us. So enjoy my gift, but don't let them find it. Love Moki.'

"Thanks bro…" said young Seto, softly. He picked up the other pieces of paper. "My Duel Monsters cards! Well, they're not the greatest cards, but they're mine. …" He began to flip through them. Kaiba watched, not letting even the slightest trace of emotion show on his face. Mokuba was watching, but he looked curious.

"Huh? A Blue-Eyes, White Dragon?" said young Kaiba, finding a childish drawing of one behind all of his cards. "Mokuba made me a blue-eyes card! One day, I know I'll have the real thing in my deck, just wait!" He turned and looked out of the window at the night sky.

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"That explain a _whole_ lot," commented Shayla.

"He was such a weakling, and he still is," countered Noah. "That's why I can reclaim my rightful empire!"

"As much as you like to complain about Kaiba's ego, you're as full of it as he is," replied Shayla. "And I don't lie."

"You're getting to be more trouble than you're worth!" snapped Noah.

"I never asked to be here!"

"Do you want another first-hand demonstration of my software?!"

"That's absolutely vile," said Shayla, her upper lip curling in disgust.

_"How is this possible?!"_ thought Noah, blown away when he recognized the expression on her face. _"She's actually sympathizing with that thief!"_ But it wasn't sympathy; it was empathy. He stood up and vanished from the control room

Shayla was surprised when she felt him leave.

"Now what?" she asked, but there was no answer. Her strong front began to fall a little. "I am in so much trouble…"

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The house vanished around the Kaiba brothers and was replaced by nothing but darkness. Noah appeared in front of them.

"A good show by the Kaiba boys," he gloated, clapping. "That trip down memory lane really pulls at the heartstrings, doesn't it?"

"We've had enough of your sick and twisted games!" yelled Kaiba, his hands tightening into fists.

"Why, I've only just begun!" laughed Noah, insanity showing in his eyes. "So get ready to relive every painful moment of your entire lives!"

"What?!" demanded Kaiba.

"It's going to be a very bumpy ride," Noah chuckled.

"Look kid, what do you expect to gain from this!?" shouted Kaiba.

"Everything that should have been mine from the beginning," answered Noah. With that he vanished.

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"I'm prisoner of a psychopath…great…" muttered Shayla as she listened to their conversation. But that was not what occupied most of her thoughts. She was still surprised about what she learned about Kaiba's past, and a whole lot of answers about his personality had been answered. But what hit home the most was the similarities she kept finding between his life and hers.

_"It's not completely the same,"_ she reminded herself. _"He had his brother. I was alone. For fifteen and a half years, I was…completely…totally…alone."_

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"Let's see if you can handle this!" yelled Kevin. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior to the field!" His spellcaster appeared to the right of his Drillago. It had stats of 1600 and 1100. "And since I summoned it, I get to add one spell counter to it."

"Spell counter?" asked Serenity.

"It's a special marker in Duel Monsters," said Yu-Gi. "You don't see them too much though. They can be very helpful…if you use them right."

"One spell counter on Breaker increases its attack points by 300," explained Drake.

"That gives my monster a total of 1900 attack points," smirked Kevin.

"That's good!" cheered Téa.

"He still can't attack as long as Gamesly as so many extra monsters to tribute for his Deck Master's special ability," reminded Duke. "And I count four!"

"Somehow, he has to get rid of them then, to win," said Lara.

"And I will!" said Kevin. "First, I activate Fissure. That destroys one of your monsters with the lowest attack!"

There was a low rumbling beneath the earth. The ground braced themselves, trying to stay upright. Another crack opened beneath one of Gamesly's Don Turtles, and it disappeared.

"Looks like your business is going under," joked Kevin.

"A minor loss," said Gamesly. "In the business world, you learn that losses come. But a true businessman knows how to deal with them."

"Deal with this then! Drillago, attack!" ordered Kevin.

"But he can still reflect it!" warned Téa.

"Yes, but Kevin knows he has to weaken Gamesly's defense," reminded Yu-Gi. "And Kevin's Buster Blader will help cushion the loss."

Kevin was already bracing himself as his machine-type monster disappeared into the black hole. It reappeared a second later, its sharp drills grinding into the duelist. He tried to bite his lip, but his cry of pain still came out. However, his Buster Blader was ready, decreasing the damage he took by half. Kevin's life points stopped at 1100. But activating Reflector Hole cost Gamesly his last two Don Turtles.

"Hang in there!" called Joe.

"Now's the time to finish him!" agreed Téa.

"Right," nodded Kevin, trying not to look as hurt as he felt. "Breaker! Attack Ruclamba! Magic Slam!" His monster raised both hands up high, and a ball of power formed in them. This it fired at Ruclamba, which disappeared in a final burst of glory. Gamesly's life points dropped by 900, not enough to activate his last Ruclamba's special ability.

"Anyone want fish sticks for dinner?" asked Kevin, grinning broadly. "Because I'm going to fry this one! Slate Warrior! Attack his life points directly!"

Slate Warrior did so, and now it was Gamesly's turn to gasp in pain. His life points dropped to 700.

"Way to go! You can do it! Finish him!" cheered the spectators.

"I place one magic card. Your move, Mr. Business," said Kevin.

"Return, Ruclamba the Spirit King!" ordered Gamesly, since the direct attack cost him 1900 life points.

"Now whose assets are being frozen?" taunted Kevin.

"Please don't talk like him!" exclaimed Joe. "It was bad enough listening to Johnson's lawyer talk for an hour!"

"It looks like your assets are about to be washed away!" laughed Gamesly.

"What are you jabbering about now?" asked Kevin.

"I summoned a monster, so I can activate Torrential Tribute!" exclaimed Gamesly.

"Woah! That's a really rare card!" gasped Drake.

The fountain seemed to have come to life, creating a mini tidal wave on the virtual streets of Domino. It washed away all monsters on the field, as well as drenching the duelists.

"I didn't want a shower!" protested Lara.

"No! My monsters!" exclaimed Kevin.

"He's wide open for a direct attack!" exclaimed Joe.

"I summon Wall of Illusions in defense mode," said Gamesly. His monster looked like a primitive panel made of skins. A strange mask was in the middle. Its stats were 1000 and 1850.

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"He doesn't even have a right to breathe on that card," grumbled Shayla.  
  
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"Defense mode?" everyone echoed.

"Then, I activate Premature Burial to bring back my Nimble Momonga," said Gamesly as his squirrel reappeared.

"Activate Trap Hole!" announced Kevin. "That sends your rodent right back to the graveyard!"

"But I still gain 1000 life points from its special effect," Deepsea Warrior reminded him. That gave him 1700 life points.

"Kevin should have won this!" protested Serenity. "He just keeps raising his life points."

"My turn then," said Kevin, drawing a card. "Ha! I summon Skilled White Magician to the field!" This monster had an attack of 1700 and a defense of 1900.

_/White Magician?/_ Yu-Gi asked.

_/Yes, I wonder if it has any ties to our Dark Magician…/_ replied Yami.

"He still doesn't have enough attack points to take out Wall of Illusions," Drake pointed-out.

"That ends my turn," said Kevin.

He had 1100 life points and his Skilled White Magician. Gamesly had 1700 life points and Wall of Illusions.

"I summon Melkin the Four-Faced Beast to the field in defense mode," said Gamesly. His monster looked like a fusion of four masks, two red, two yellow. Its stats were 1500 and 1200.

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"He had better not fail," grumbled Noah. "Their failures are a reflection of me. And I can't allow Yu-Gi and his friends make me look like a failure."

"Of course," replied Shayla, dryly. "I'm sure you can do that fine on your own. They'll beat you every time until you get the nerve to confront them."

"They will not beat me!" yelled Noah.

"We have to find a way out of here!" came Mokuba's voice from one of the screens

"…And as for you Seto…your power will soon be mine!" Noah said to the screen.

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"This place was designed to isolate us from outside contact, but that won't stop me. Let's go Mokuba," said Kaiba.

"After today I never want to see a virtual tree again," said Mokuba as they continued through the virtual forest again.

"That figures," muttered Seto. "That punk must be keeping us trapped here because he is too scared to confront me face to face."

The air shimmered in front of the brothers. An ornate oak door formed.

"Check it out Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba "Another door! Should we go?"

"…yes," answered Kaiba after a moment's thought. "Let's see where that kid is leading us now." He once again opened the door, standing protectively in front of his little brother.

"What's this?!" demanded Kaiba as an office revealed itself.

"We're back at home at Kaiba Corp.," said Mokuba.

"It's a virtual simulation of my office," said Kaiba, a bit taken back.

The large chair behind the desk turned around, facing the door and the brothers.

"This is my office!" exclaimed Gozaburo Kaiba. Seto Kaiba gasped in surprise, his blue eyes growing wide. He was more than stunned. "No one disturbs me here!"

"I know," said a slightly older young Seto. He was standing right being the real Kaiba brothers. The virtual Kaiba walked forward to confront his stepfather, reenacting Kaiba's memories. "But I'm sick of waiting to talk to you and I have something important to say!"

"Seto, another virtual scene from the past!" said Mokuba

"Grr, I know this," growled Kaiba. "It was the day I finally worked up the courage to confront our stepfather."

"You're here to talk about your invention, right?" said Gozaburo, holding a handful of papers his stepson had given him days ago. "Look, I've already told you. It's no good!" He threw the papers into the air and they fluttered around the room.

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to design that virtual video game software?!" demanded young Seto. "You just can't admit that I invented something you never could!"

"Right," agreed Kaiba, shaking from rage watching it.

"This little game of yours is of no use to me," Gozaburo shot.

"Use your eyes!" yelled young Kaiba "This software could make this company billions of dollars!"

"I've heard enough you little brat!" shouted Gozaburo. "We don't make child's toys here! Kaiba Corp. is my company! We make vehicles for combat! Go that?! Now listen to me! If you're going to take over this company some day, you'll have to forget about you're little games! I adopted you so you could learn my family business! The business of winning battles, defeating your enemies and rising to ultimate power! "

"No way! You're insane!" countered young Kaiba. The real one was biting his lip.

"Guards, take my stepson away!" ordered Gozaburo.

His security team grabbed young Seto by the arms and began to pull him out of the room.

"Get your hands off of me!" demanded young Seto. "You can't treat me like this! You'll be sorry! You old fool!"

"_I'll never forget that day," _thought Kaiba._ "Not only did my stepfather shoot down my virtual gaming program, but to make things worse he stole my invention and passed it off as his own!"_

The office faded and trees grew in place of the walls.

"Seto! We're back in Noah's virtual forest!" exclaimed Mokuba

"It's not Noah's forest, because whoever helped Noah build this virtual world is using the same software that our stepfather stole from me! Thought it's been enhanced, the basic program is the same as mine," replied Kaiba.

"That's true," agreed Mokuba, realizing it was.

"And I have a feeling its no coincidence. I just have to remember that everything we see here is just an illusion, because all of these memories are messing with my head," said Kaiba. Then he shouted, "Noah, I don't know who you are kid, but I intend to find out! I know you can hear everything I say, and no matter what your after and who's helping you, you never succeed! Never! If you're so powerful why don't you come down here and face me you coward!"

Of course, no answer came.

"Seto! Look what I found!" exclaimed Mokuba, bring a cell phone over to him.

"Why would this be here?" asked Kaiba. He turned it on, but all he got was static.

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"All in good time Seto, all in good time," laughed Noah.

"Is that true?" asked Shayla. "Was this virtual world made from one of Kaiba's stolen inventions?"

"No!" snapped Noah.

"You're lying, so Kaiba is right," said Shayla.

"Grrr," grumbled Noah. "None of this is any of your concern!"

"You drug me here, you trapped me here, so somehow, I think that qualifies me to make it my concern."

"You're a pawn here and nothing else!"

"Even if you don't tell me who, I already know someone else has a hand in this. What makes you so sure you're not a pawn?"

"I AM NOT!"

"What are you trying to prove by all of this anyways?"

"I will prove that I'm truly more deserving than Seto Kaiba!"

"Deserving of what?" asked Shayla

"For years I've lived in Seto's shadow, trying to prove that I'm the better one. I should be the president of Kaiba Corp. not him, and it's about time that I prove it to Gozaburo that he should have left the company to me!"

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The cell phone that Mokuba had found tuned in to Shayla and Noah's conversation long enough to pick up Noah's last lines before it went dead.

"W_hat?!"_ thought Kaiba, stunned._ "But my stepfather Gozaburo has been missing without a trace for over five years! And why would Noah want to prove something to him anyways?! This kid is not who he seems to be, but who is he?"_

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"What are your connections to the Kaibas?" asked Shayla. "Don't bother denying it, I already know there is a connection, and I will know if you lie."

"I don't have to answer to you!" spat Noah.

"You can't lead me around like a puppet forever, Noah!" Kaiba's voice filtered to them.

"In my world I can do whatever I want! And besides, I'm having too much fun toying with your head to stop now," said Noah. "Seto, if you think this is bad just wait to see what I have in store for you next!"

"You're just a spoiler brat who doesn't know how to deal with his own problem," retorted Shayla.

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Kevin grinned as he drew his next card, "You don't stand a chance."

"I doesn't matter what monster you summon, you can't hope to attack me without hurting yourself," said Gamesly.

"You know, I've always wanted to do this," smirked Kevin. "Just watch."

"He's got something planned," said Joe.

"But what?" asked Serenity.

"Whatever it is, he seems pretty confident," replied Téa.

"First, I play one card face down," announced Kevin as he slid one magic card into place. "Then, I activate White Dragon Ritual!"

"A ritual monster?!" exclaimed Drake.

"Woah! White Dragon? As in Blue-Eyes, White Dragon?" asked Duke.

"Good thing Kaiba isn't here," agreed Téa.

"I will use my Skilled White Magician to open the Gates of Chaos and release the Paladin of White Dragon!" declared Kevin. With a lot of flashy pyrotechnics, the Skilled White Magician disappeared. In its place stood the paladin, with stats of 1900 and 1200.

"That creature is supposed to present me with a formidable challenge?" asked Gamesly.

"Paladin, attack!" ordered Kevin, as if to prove a point.

"Activate Reflector Hole!" announced Gamesly, his Melkin and Wall of Illusions vanishing.

"What are you thinking?!" demanded Joe. "You'll lose the duel!"

"Negate Attack," said Kevin, his monster bouncing harmlessly off of an invisible wall that formed in front of him. Kevin turned to Joe. "I had to get rid of his monsters somehow. Does this mean you've stopped thinking I'm a spy."

"Well…maybe…." Joe trailed off.

"Meet my Skull Knight #2!" said Gamesly as he started his turn. Skull Knight #2's stats were 1000 and 1200, not enough to compete with the paladin. "Then I play one card face down."

"That's all?" asked Kevin. "This is going to be too easy!" He laughed. "Like I've said, I've always wanted to do this. And luckily for me, the virtual world is going to help!"

"What does he mean, brother?" asked Serenity.

"No clue," answered Joe.

Drake looked around. "It should work, but the kid is in a heap of trouble if Kaiba shows up."

"I tribute my Paladin of White Dragon to summon the Blue-Eyes, Dragon!" said Kevin, boldly. In a flash of light the weaker monster was gone, replaced by Seto Kaiba's pride and joy.

"How the heck can he do that?!" yelled Duke.

"He had a Blue-Eyes?!" gasped Téa.

"That's Paladin of White Dragon's special ability," explained Drake.

"That's what Kevin meant when he said the virtual world would help him!" Lara exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" asked Duke.

"Under normal circumstances, he'd need to own a Blue-Eyes to be able to summon it with the paladin," said Drake. "But the virtual world will cause it to appear regardless."

"Well, an impressive move," commented Joe. "But he's dead if Kaiba shows up."

"And just in case you were considering using that card to stop me, it won't work," said Kevin, indicating Gamesly's face down trap or magic card. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to blow it away!" The holograms activated, showing the card hologram sailing away. Gamesly slipped it into his graveyard.

"Now, I activate my own magic card, which will remove your Skull Knight from play," said Kevin. "Your turn."

"Why didn't he attack?" asked Téa. "Gamesly is wide open!"

"The Blue-Eyes can't attack on the first turn when it is summoned this way," Yu-Gi said.

"Erm…guys, don't turn around," said Joe. And, being such good listeners, they all turned around.

"What the heck is going on here?!" demanded Seto Kaiba, his eyes glowing with fury.

"How'd that Blue-Eyes get there?" asked Mokuba.

"The kid isn't going to live to see his next birthday…" muttered Drake.

"This is going to get ugly," agreed Duke.

"It might be more merciful for Gamesly to beat him and take his body," added Lara.

Kaiba was livid. He was more than stressed out from Noah's mind games, and seeing someone else using his favorite monster was enough to push him to do something incredibly rash.

Kevin was oblivious to the dangers that awaited him at the end of the duel.

"Kaiba! You're okay!" called Yu-Gi.

Kaiba didn't reply. He was too busy glaring full-out swords at Kevin.

"I play one monster face down and end my turn," said Gamesly.

"You won't last," said Kevin. "For all your business knowledge, you will lose. I summon Aqua Madoor to the field in attack mode!" His monster had sea blue hair that was shaped like seaweed. It wore a pale white, green, and blue jumpsuit. Its face was covered with a white mask. Its attack was 1200 and its defense was 2000.

"I also activate United We Stand," declared Kevin, not wanting to risk Gamesly having a high-defense monster. "That raises the attack of my Aqua Madoor by 800 for every monster I have on the field, and I count two!" This brought Aqua Madoor up to 2800 attack points.

"Cream him!" cheered Serenity.

"With pleasure," smiled Kevin. "Aqua Madoor, take out his face down monster! Aqua Rush!"

In another drenching wave, Gamesly's last monster vanished.

"A poor business move," said Gamesly.

There was a loud explosion.

"What the!?" yelled everyone as the ground shook beneath them.

"That was my Fiber Jar," smirked Gamesly.

"Oh, this is trouble," said Drake.

"It forces us to take all our cards on the field, in the graveyard, and in our hands and shuffle them with our decks," explained Gamesly. "Then we get to increase our revenue by drawing a new hand."

"My Blue-Eyes…in the graveyard…" fumed Kaiba.

"You can still win this!" called Yu-Gi. "The duel isn't over yet!"

"Right," agreed Kevin. "I place two cards and end my turn."

"You'll remember this move," said Gamesly. "I summon my Don Turtle! Then, its special ability activates, allowing me to summon two more!"

"Three monsters already?!" gasped Duke. "Even with Buster Blader's special ability, he won't last a direct assault by all of them!"

"He still has two magic cards," Téa reminded him.

"And you'll remember this move," said Kevin. "I activate Trap Hole, destroying one of your Don Turtles!"

"Two is more than enough to finish you!" snapped Gamesly. "You're business is dead! Don Turtles, attack!"

"Negate Attack!" announced Kevin, stopping one of the monsters in its tracks. But still the other one managed to land a hit. Buster Blader's special ability activated, leaving Kevin with 550 life points.

"Enjoy it while you can," Kevin said. "First, I activate Card Destruction. That means we must discard our hands and draw another five cards!"

"What profit can you gain by this?" asked Gamesly.

"What is he doing?" asked Serenity.

"You'll see," answered Joe, because he had no other answer.

Kaiba was still glowering at him from a distance.

"Perfect!" exclaimed Kevin as he picked up his last card. "You're about to meet my favorite monster!"

"And that would be?" asked Gamesly.

Kevin smirked. "First, I must remove one light-attribute monster and one dark-attribute monster in my graveyard from play. Thanks to Card Destruction, they're there. Now, behold my Chaos Emperor Dragon!" With a loud bellow his favorite dragon appeared. It was turquoise with silver plating. It could compete with the Blue-Eyes in size. It's stats were the same at 3000 and 2500.

"Nice touch," commented Drake, admiring the dragon.

"Woah…" was all anyone else could say.

Gamesly laughed.

"What is so funny, fish face?!" demanded Joe.

"It doesn't matter how strong your monster is, it will still be reflected right back at you!" laughed Gamesly. "A pricey and foolish investment."

"My turn isn't over yet," said Kevin. "I equip my Chaos Emperor Dragon with Big Bang Shot!"

"What does that do?" asked Gamesly, his eyes narrowing.

"It increases my dragon's attack by 400 points," said Kevin.

"Have you learned nothing?" asked Gamesly. "You won't be able to hurt me!"

Kevin didn't answer his taunts. "I now activate Tailor of the Fickle, to move my Big Bang Shot to another target."

"You have no other monsters!" yelled Lara.

"I'm not targeting one of my monsters, but one of yours, Gamesly," said Kevin. "Now one of your Don Turtles is equipped with my Big Bang Shot."

"What good does that do you?" asked Gamesly.

"I now activate my third magic card," said Kevin. "Harpy's Feather Duster."

"Mai!" gasped Joe.

"So you eliminate all magic cards on my side of the field, so what?" asked Gamesly.

"It means your business is sunk," said Kevin. "Since I moved my Big Bang Shot, it is also destroyed. And when Big Bang Shot is destroyed, it means the monster it is equipped to is destroyed as well! That means you only have one monster on the field, that means you can't activate Reflector Hole!"

"NO!" cried Gamesly.

"You're done for!" exclaimed Kevin. "Attack, Chaos Emperor Dragon! Midnight Destruction!"

"NO!" screamed Gamesly as his final Don Turtle was vaporized, along with his remaining life points, and himself. "I was so close…!"

The cracks in the streets began to mend themselves with Gamesly gone. The trembling nearly brought the duelists to their knees. Steam rose as the water quickly evaporated. Yami looked up, passed the fountain. A hybrid creature was staring ravenously at where Gamesly used to stand. But her prey was no longer here, and so she moved on.

_/Ammit?!/_ gasped Yami.

_/What did you say, Yami?/_ asked Yu-Gi.

_/N-Nothing…/_

The gang quickly reunited.

"That was a really impressive duel, Kevin," complimented Yu-Gi.

"That means a lot coming from the King of Games," replied Kevin.

"That last move was ingenious," said Lara.

"Thanks, that also means a lot coming from a lovely lady like yourself," replied Kevin.

"Oh brother…" groaned Joe.

"Still think I'm the spy?" asked Kevin.

"Well…I don't know, the whole duel could be a set up," said Joe.

"Good thing is, we're almost all back together," said Téa.

"Oh?" asked Kevin.

"Kaiba and Mokuba showed up while you were dueling," she explained.

"Really?" asked Kevin, somewhat excitedly, looking around.

"I have a feeling we're going to need to play ref," Drake whispered to Duke.

Kevin was walking right into the dragon's lair. He was approaching Seto Kaiba, completely oblivious of the death glare he was being given.

"Hello," said Kevin, brightly, extending his hand to the CEO. "My name is Kevin Hunter. You're Seto Kaiba. I'm one of your biggest fans." Kaiba continued to glare him down, not moving. "Erm…"

"A Kaiba fan?" echoed Joe. "Poor kid is disillusioned."

"It's an honor to finally meet you," Kevin continued.

"Listen Hunter," said Kaiba, his voice reaching a new low temperature-wise. "I don't spend time with dragon-duelist wanna-bes. You have some nerve using my Blue-Eyes in that duel. You're asking for trouble. A poor excuse of a duelist like yourself could never handle my dragons! Here's some advice, avoid the major leagues, mouse, because you are in over your head. And I certainly don't need fans, I work alone."

"What is your problem?!" demanded Kevin.

"You don't get it, do you mouse?" asked Kaiba, instantly jumping at the chance to insult Kevin's size. He was barely as tall as Yami, which wasn't saying much. "You are a disgrace of a duelist, and you don't deserve to be within a hundred miles of my Blue-Eyes!" The rest of the group had walked over, expecting a full out brawl any minutes.

"I don't like your attitude!" snapped Kevin. "You have no right to insult me!"

"Don't take that tone with me!" countered Kaiba. "You had better watch your tongue, mouse, or you will regret it!"

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, shocked. Mokuba presence was enough to keep Kaiba from slugging Kevin on the spot.

Kaiba stepped passed Kevin, bumping his shoulder rather harshly. Mokuba quickly caught up.

"What's with him?" Kevin asked the others.

"He's always like that," said Drake. "Always."

"Well, that cinches it for me," said Joe.

"What do you mean?" asked Duke.

"If Kaiba doesn't like you, you're okay in my book," said Joe, extending his hand to Kevin. "Sorry if I didn't trust you earlier."

"Hey, I understand," said Kevin, shaking Joe's hand.


	8. Kaiba's Secret

Lady Akhana: Bad news everyone! The penguins are trying to get into the government!

Cloud Dragon: Penguins in politics? Everyone feel free to insert their politician joked here.

Moonlady: No time, we need to bring them down!

Imp Is Insane: How are they going to try to pull this off?

Gema J. Gall: Kerry.

All: Kerry?!

Gema J. Gall: Yup. He's getting his campaign finances from his wife, who is part pf the Heinz family.

Diamond Lance: That does it! I say we sic Demon Child and Fox Demon on him.

Demon Child: Yay! My piranha bunnies can have fun!

Fox Demon: More shadow foxes! Yippies!

E-100 Alpha: Well, it would get them out of the base…

Pharaoh Light: There's more, we have targeted the leader's position.

Pharaoh Dark: And we need a recon unit to go in and bring xlooks at Demon Child and Fox Demonx alive!

Dark Fox: There's no fun in that!

Star: Send the torture-crazy people after Kerry. He's a politician, he should be able to handle it.

Bakurakrazie: Did someone call my name?

Livi: I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin! I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin! I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin! I want to bring down Nightmare Penguin!

Seadragon1012: We get the idea…

Lady Akhana: We need our most stealthy members for that mission, that means Black Belt Timmy, Master of Dimensions, and Demon of Shadows.

Those three: Yay!

All others: No fair!

Moonlady: Don't worry, there's still more.

Demon of Shadows: Really? What?

Gema J. Gall: Alpha and I have pin-pointed another penguin attack, this one against us!

Phantom 1: What are they doing?

Alpha: It's ff.n's new rule about author comments. That is clearly an attempt to stop our meetings!

Imp is Insane: They infiltrated ff.n?!

Diamond Lance: Looks that way.

Star: Send a unit there too! Pharaohs Light & Dark, are you ready?

Pharaohs Light & Dark: Yes ma'am!

Demon Child Kantel: I want to go with them!

Master of Dimesions: No, you have a politician to torture.

Demon Child: Oh…YAY!

Livi: We could just give Gema hot cocoa and turn her loose.

All: NOOO!!!

Bakurakrazie: Let's get these plans into action before we get found out!

Seadragon1012: Or before we get overrun with shadow foxes, or Gema finds hot cocoa, or…

Phantom 1: No more pessimism! May the mustard be with us!

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The group was walking around downtown Domino. They had passed most of the businesses and were now getting into the warehouse district. Kaiba and Mokuba were in the front and no one else seemed to be in too big of a hurry to catch up. Yu-Gi was trailing a bit of a ways behind them, talking with Joe, Téa, and Kevin as they went. Duke and Serenity were behind them, Duke trying to cheer Serenity up. She was still taking Tristan's loss hard. Drake and Lara were in the rear, looking for dangers.

"Poor Tristan," sighed Serenity. "It's not fair…"

"Don't worry," Yu-Gi said to her. "The Big 5 said they had him in some type of virtual holding area. We just have to find him before they take control of his body."

"Then his mind will be trapped somewhere in cyber-space!"" Joe exclaimed. "We need to get him back and now!" Serenity nodded.

"I don't think that their holding place would be anything they would let us find," commented Kevin.

"Kevin! Try to be optimistic here!" scolded Duke with a sideways glance at Serenity.

"I hope we find him soon so we can get out of here," said Drake.

"I agree," added Lara. "We won! So they have to let us go. Those are the rules!"

"They don't play by any rules, even their own," said Kevin.

"So much for optimism," replied Duke.

"I know we'll get out of here, somehow," said Téa.

Lara suddenly gasped and turned around.

"What is it?" asked Drake.

"I could have sworn I heard something behind us," she said.

"I don't see anyone."

"But I have this weird feeling like we are being watched," Lara replied.

"Hey guys, you're falling behind!" called Yu-Gi.

"Tell me again why we are following Kaiba," said Joe.

"Because we need to stick together," answered Yu-Gi.

"Then let him stick with us! He's been one pain after another," Joe snapped.

"I agree, he needs an attitude adjustment," added Kevin.

"Come on guys," protested Yu-Gi. "We are all in this together."

"It's Kaiba's feud with the Big 5 that got all of us into this mess to begin with," Drake reminded them.

"I seem to remember them having a bone to pick with Industrial Illusions," said Téa, off-handedly.

Drake muttered something under his breath, the word 'idiot' being distinguishable.

The Kaiba brothers turned down one of the large alleys between to boarded-up warehouses. The others were about to follow when a gasp from the back stopped them.

"I know we are being followed!" Lara exclaimed, looking frantically around.

"What are you talking about Lara?" asked Joe. "There is no one else here."

"Could just be one of Noah's tricks," said Kevin. "I wouldn't put anything passed him."

"No, I am certain. There is someone following us," replied Lara in a very serious tone.

Around the corner, the Kaibas were confronting the figure that had been following them. He was standing on the roof of one of the boarded-up garages. The figure looked familiar enough, but that was just another deception.

"Hello Kaiba," greeted Tristan in a voice that was not his own. He smiled evilly down at Seto Kaiba.

"Look Seto! It's Tristan!" exclaimed Mokuba, pointing.

Those words were barely out of his mouth when 'Tristan' jumped off of the roof, raising a thick, metal pole over his head. Kaiba barely had time to duck out of the way before 'Tristan' struck the ground where he had been standing.

"Woah! Look out!" Mokuba warned.

"Tristan! What are you thinking?!" demanded Kaiba, getting into a defensive position.

"My name's not Tristan and I'm thinking about revenge," answered 'Tristan' as he raised the pole again.

"Who are you?" demanded Kaiba.

"Your worst nightmare!" shot 'Tristan' who Kaiba had finally placed as Nesbit. Nesbit swung again. Kaiba leapt backwards and plucked the top card off of his deck. He threw it at Nesbit, aiming for his face, just like he did to the rare hunter. But Nesbit quickly raised the pole, deflecting it. Nesbit swung again at Kaiba, but Kaiba dodged it easily. Kaiba also dodged his next attack with the same agility.

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Shayla leaned back in the cage she was in, listening to the fight from one of the many monitors surrounding her. She was starting to feel anxious again, but this time she wasn't primarily concerned about herself. She was worried about the others. Shayla had concluded that Noah wouldn't let anything happen to her for the moment, because he needed her for his mysterious plan.

She sat up straighter when one thing hit her. "You aren't playing by the rules again," she accused Noah.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, hardly paying any attention to her.

"You won't let us return to reality, even though we won our duels," she said. "But you also aren't letting Nesbit out of here."

Noah chuckled. "It sounds like you actually want him to escape to the real world with your friend's body."

Shayla ignored the comment. "You don't intend to let the Big 5 out of here either. You're just using them."

"They agreed to work for me, and they're doing just what I asked them," Noah shot back.

Shayla easily noticed how he dodged her accusation. Noah was beginning to pick up on the fact that she could figure out was going on regardless of whether he denied it or not. So he had taken to not answering, which was probably the only way he could keep any secrets around the scale-bearer.

"You're not going to keep your end of the deal though, are you?" asked Shayla. "You didn't keep it with us, so I guess it's not surprising that you don't keep it with them."

Typing was the only answer she got. Shayla knew she was right. That fact was far from comforting.

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Kaiba ducked again as Nesbit swung. Nesbit had not yet been able to connect with Seto, but he didn't look like he was going to give up any time soon.

"Woah!" exclaimed Joe as the rest of the group rounded the corner.

"It's Tristan!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, sounding stunned.

"Tristan! I knew we'd track you down pal!" shouted Joe.

"Are you okay?" Serenity asked, oblivious to the glares Nesbit was giving them from behind Tristan's eyes.

"Why don't you kids run along?" snapped Nesbit.

"This doesn't seem right to me at all," said Kevin.

"It's not," agreed Drake.

"Wait a sec!" exclaimed Duke, who had put everything together the fastest. "You're not Tristan, you phony!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Joe.

"Wait Joe! I think he's right," commented Serenity when she noticed no kindness in Tristan's eyes.

"Yes, I've taken over your friend's body," admitted Nesbit. He turned back to Kaiba. "Now that that's over, I can take care of you!" He charged Kaiba again, swinging the pole.

Kaiba ducked, did a handspring, and picked up a pole, holding it in front of himself like a sword. Nesbit swung and there was a loud clang as the two pieces of metal hit. The one that Kaiba was holding flew through the air and hit the pavement with an echoing ring.

"Nice try!" laughed Nesbit.

"Why are you doing this?!" demanded Kaiba, sounding furious. He might have been unarmed, but he was still ready to fight.

"Interesting mess Kaiba got himself in," commented Drake, who was watching with his arms crossed and an amused expression on his face.

"Because you need to pay for what you did to me!" Nesbit shouted at Kaiba. "Good-Bye!"

He raised the pole again, aiming at Seto's head. But before he could attack and Kaiba could charge, a mechanical monkey jumped right onto Nesbit/Tristan's head, pulling his hair and poking him in the eyes.

"What's that?" asked Lara.

"I've seen enough," grumbled Joe, racing forward.

"Wait! Come back!" Duke called after him.

Nesbit had managed to get his hands around the monkey. He pulled back and threw it into a wall. Then he turned to renew his attack against Kaiba.

Joe got to him first. "This is getting too weird!" he yelled as he charged Nesbit, throwing him through the boarded-up doors of the abandoned garage.

"Joe! It's still Tristan's body!" scolded Téa, giving him the ever-famous what-an-idiot look. Serenity nodded in agreement and gave her brother a harsh look before following Téa into the garage. "Hello?" A pair of bright headlights responded to her.

"Pardon me!" snapped Nesbit, charging out of the garage on a green motorcycle he had found. Téa and Serenity screamed and hurried out of the way to avoid being flattened.

"SETO!" cried Mokuba, noticing his older brother was right in the path of the vehicle.

Kaiba dodged the incoming vehicle as easily as he dodged all of Nesbit's other attacks. But Nesbit was no longer targeting him. The computer nerd charged pass Kaiba, turned, and swept Mokuba right off of the street.

"Help!" cried Mokuba as he struggled against his newest captor.

"Kaiba! I now have taken something form you, so we're even now!" Nesbit called back as he tore down the shipping docks.

"Come back right now!" growled Kaiba, furiously.

"Too late! He's gone!" exclaimed Joe.

"That scum-bag!" exclaimed Kevin. "Mokuba is just a kid!"

"No!" cried Téa.

"Mokuba!" called Yu-Gi.

The group hurried after Nesbit on foot. But he had broken through a road-out sign, jumped down several feet, and was speeding away down a long, underground tunnel.

"We lost him," said Lara, sadly.

The sound of a bike revving up behind them caused them all to turn around. Then, they all had to jump to the side as Kaiba charged passed them on a bike he had found in the garage. He made the long jump down the loading dock and disappeared out of sight in the dark tunnel in hot pursuit of his brother's kidnapper.

"What now guys?" asked Yu-Gi after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Kaiba is after the fake Tristan, so we have to find out where the real one is," said Joe.

"Right," agreed Serenity with determination.

The robotic monkey walked up behind them and began to chatter away with digital monkey noises.

"It's the robot runt again," Joe commented, turning around.

The monkey made even more noises and started jumping and waving its arms.

"And I thought this virtual world couldn't get any weirder," said Drake, eyeing up the monkey.

"I don't trust this little rat," said Joe, glaring at it.

"It's a monkey, how dangerous can it really be?" asked Serenity as she took a step forward.

"Don't touch it serenity," cautioned Duke. "For all we know, this chimp could be a trap."

"Good point Duke," agreed Joe. "Maybe we should just take this guy apart."

"Well, this is the virtual world, and things are never what they appeared to be here," said Kevin.

"We can unscrew his head and take out his batteries," said Duke.

The robotic monkey began to screech all the louder and it's gestures became even more wild.

"Whatever it is, it can understand us," Lara pointed-out.

"Another good reason to recycle it," replied Duke.

"No way!" protested Serenity. "Don't you lay a finger on him!"

"What's the problem, Serenity?" asked her brother.

"This little guy risked his life to save Kaiba!" she exclaimed.

"I guess that's a good thing…" Joe trailed-off.

"Good thing? Not even in a virtual world can helping that egomaniac be a good thing," replied Drake.

"That's a good point," said Kevin.

"But why would Noah or the Big 5 send something that would help any of us?" asked Lara.

"It might be a trick to try to gain our trust," replied Duke.

Serenity gave them all looks a disbelief, "Look at him." She walked to the monkey and waved. "Hi."

The monkey made teary eyes and got a dopey expression that Tristan often wore.

"He's adorable," cooed Serenity.

She held out her arms and the monkey jumped right into them, beaming brightly.

"Just do me a favor okay, keep that thing out of my face," Duke said, coldly.

"Okay," agreed Yu-Gi. "We've got to get going guys. The Big 5 may have Tristan's body, but his mind has to be around here somewhere."

The monkey began to point furiously at itself while making chattering noises.

"Zip it!" snapped Joe, glaring at the monkey and making a fist. "I've got my eye on you, you robot varmint!"

"Joe stop!" protested Serenity, holding the robot close.

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"_Hang on Mokuba," _thought Kaiba as he sped down the highway bridge which was built right over the ocean._ "I'll rescue you from these corporate sleezeballs."_

But then the bridge rose sharply into the air. This was that area where boats passed through, and the bridge was up. Kaiba only hesitated for a moment, then he urged his bike to go even faster.

_"This shouldn't be too tough,"_ he thought.

The bike charged up the incline. At the very last moment Kaiba leaned back, urging the bike into a jump. Then, he was airborne. The jump was perfect. He landed nicely on the other side o f the bridge, not losing his balance for a moment. But he had barely gone any distance down this road when a dark figure stepped out in front of him.

(AN/ xdroolsx Several very good reason to become a Kaiba fangirl.)

"Hey you! Get out of the road!" called Kaiba, pulling his bike sharply to the left to avoid the stranger. The side of the bike scraped the ground and Kaiba bailed as it exploded.

Kaiba walked forward, glaring daggers at the person who was keeping him from rescuing his brother.

"So we meet again Seto Kaiba," smirked the stranger. He was wearing a long, dark violet trench coat that hid most of his form. A floppy hat covered most of his head. What the hat didn't cover was hid by what looked like a silver oxygen mask.

"Who are you?" growled Seto.

"How quickly we forget our old friends," replied the stranger.

"Enough! Where can I find Mokuba?" demanded Kaiba.

"If you ever want to find that brother of yours again, you have to make it pass me," replied the stranger, with the hint of a snarl in his voice.

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A semi-distant memory hit Shayla so fast she couldn't stop herself from gasping.

"What?" asked Noah. He sounded irritated, but this time he wasn't ticked at her and her constant question.

"These are the same nuts who were plotting murder before," she said in an audible whisper. She remembered the time she accidentally eavesdropped on two of the guards in the Duelist Kingdom. She was more than stunned by how low those people had sunk.

"Doesn't matter," replied Noah with a shrug. "What does matter is how they keep trying to bend my rules. Well, I won't allow it."

Just like that he was gone. Shayla could no longer sense his presence in the room. It was the same kind of trick Rudy liked to pull.

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"Stop right there, Nesbit," ordered Noah as he materialized in front of Nesbit's bike.

"Yes, Noah?" asked Nesbit, coming to a halt. Mokuba was in front of him, completely unconscious.

"What's going on?" Noah asked, icily.

"I've taken Seto's brother," replied Nesbit.

"I can see that, but why have you taken him?" asked Noah, impatiently.

"Simple, when I worked for Kaiba he took everything from me, so this is payback.

"This wasn't part of the deal Nesbit," snapped Noah. "You've broken my rules."

"But sir, what are you saying?"

"Give the boy to me."

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"Oh no!" Shayla groaned. She heard Mokuba's capture, and the worst part was she could not help. She was still listening to the various conversations via the surveillance system. Noah had not turned it off when he left. Either he forgot, but Shayla thought he had his own reasons for wanting her to know what was going on with the others.

The most confusing thing to the blind girl was how interested Noah was in her. Shayla knew Noah's primary target was Seto Kaiba. Mokuba was obviously the easiest way to get to him.

_"Noah must have dragged Yu-Gi here because of his rivalry between Kaiba,"_ thought Shayla. _"But Noah is also very interested in Kaiba Corp., which must be why he dragged Drake here, since Drake is connected to Kaiba Corp.'s rival company Industrial Illusions. He must have brought the others here to use as bartering chips or pawns against them. Well, Noah does seem to have an eye for top-ranked duelists; that's probably why he went for Joe and maybe that new kid Kevin. Everyone else is just bait or something. But why is he interested in me? I'm not a top-ranked duelist, I'm not related to anyone here, I don't have any connections to any companies, and I'm not that close of a friend to anyone he's after. What is Noah planning? What does he hope to gain by keeping me here? I know it can't be the Millennial Items, and I can't think of anything else!"_

She exhaled sharply in frustration, but no answer would present itself to her.

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Noah had Mokuba teleported to a large virtual living room. There was a green couch and two matching arm chairs, as well as two oak end tables. A lit fireplace was across from the couch. Above that was a screen that was showing Kaiba and the member of the Big 5 that had waylaid him. Mokuba was laying on the couch, still knocked out. Noah was standing nearby, looking rather smug.

_"I know have the only two people Seto cares about in the world prisoner. There is no way he will be able to beat me!"_ Noah thought happily.

Mokuba groaned once and his eyes fluttered open. "Where am I?"

"You're with me," Noah answered.

"Noah! Stay away from me!" yelled Mokuba, cringing back on the sofa. "Wait 'til Seto finds out!"

"Seto? Ha! He won't be rescuing you any time soon," Noah replied mockingly.

"That's not true! My brother would not let anything happen to me," protested Mokuba.

"He's got his hands tied. See for yourself," Noah said as he gestured to the screen.

"Seto!"

"He'll have to make it passed my associate to rescue you."

"Is that one of the Big 5?"

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"I've been waiting to take you down for a long time," said the shrouded figure opposite of Kaiba.

"Bring it on," replied Kaiba, coldly.

"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

"Well, it took me a minute but I recognize your voice, Lector. So lets get this duel over with," answered Kaiba.

"My sentiments exactly," replied Lector coyly. As he spoke a virtual database formed in front of Kaiba. "So select your new deck from the cards in front of you."

"Done," replied Kaiba as he slid his deck into place on his duel disk. "Now let's get this thing over with so I can save Mokuba."

"We can't start yet, you still have to select your Deck Master," Lector pointed-out.

"That's a no-brainer," said Kaiba, pulling the Lord of Dragons out of his deck and holding the card up. A holographic version of the Duel Monster formed behind him.

"And I have already taken the form of a Duel Monster. Can you tell which monster I've become?" asked Lector, a bit haughtily.

"I don't know and frankly I don't care," replied Kaiba. "Because crushing you will be a simple task regardless of your Deck Master. Let's begin!"

"It's time to duel, as they say," said Lector. "Don't expect any courtesy from me."

Kaiba replied with a long glare.

"I'll start this duel by playing on monster in defense mode," announced Lector. "Then, I set these two magic cards. Your move Mr. Kaiba."

"That's it?" asked Seto, who was clearly not impressed. "Then I'll summon Spear Dragon in attack mode!" His blue-green dragon formed right in front of him. Its stats were 1900 and 0. "This dragon will be more than capable of wiping out any monster you have played."

"You're so confidant aren't you Mr. Kaiba?" asked Lector arrogantly. "Then go ahead and attack me. My monster is in defense mode. My life points are well protected."

"You're wrong Lector," replied Kaiba, just as arrogantly. "You didn't do your research. Spear Dragon, attack his face down monster now!"

The Spear Dragon leapt into the air and nose-dived the face down card hologram. There was a bright flash of light and a monster formed for a moment before breaking into data.

"Ha! You just attacked Hiro's Shadow Scout and activated its special ability!" exclaimed Lector.

"Hiro's Shadow Scout?" echoed Kaiba.

"Yes, you must draw three cards from your deck and show them to me," explained Lector. Kaiba did so without a word. "Now you have to discard the two magic cards you drew." Kaiba slid them into his graveyard. Lector laughed. "This is only the beginning Mr. Kaiba, and soon….Hey! What happened to my life points?"

"Spear Dragon also has a special ability. I told you, you didn't do your research," replied Kaiba, smugly. "Spear Dragon has the power to inflict damage on your life points even if your monster is in defense mode." Lector loss 1400 life points, the difference in the amount of his monster's defense points and Spear Dragon's attack points. He now only had 2600 life points and it was just the first turn.

"I set this magic card face down and that will end my turn," said Seto Kaiba as a card hologram appeared behind his dragon.

"Then I'll activate Solemn Wishes before I start my turn," announced Lector, flipping up one of his cards. "This card will give me 500 life points at the start of my turn. So, I draw a card and that official starts my turn, increasing my life points." That gave him 3100 life points, recovering some of what he lost.

"_Enjoy it while you can,"_ thought Seto, venomously. _ "Because your next turn will be your last and then you will all pay for taking my little brother."_

"I play one monster face down and end my turn," said Lector, setting one card on top of his duel disk.

_"Strange, he must see that my Spear Dragon was switched to defense mode after it attacked, and that it has 0 def points, but why didn't he attack it?"_ wondered Kaiba.

"Is there a problem Mr. Kaiba?" asked Lector while Kaiba tried to figure out his strategy. "Because I'd appreciate it if you would make your move so I can defeat you and take over your body."

"In your dreams," retorted Kaiba. He drew his next card. "I summon Giant Germ to the field!" His newest monster looked like a hairball, but not in the cute Kuriboh way. The fuzz was spotty, a beneath it sick violet skin showed through. The skin was transparent and a nucleus could be seen inside. Its stats were 1000 and 100. "Then I switch my Spear Dragon back to defense mode."

"I activate my trap card, Mask of Perplexity," declared Lector.

Kaiba gasped as a brownish haze covered his eyes. "What is this?! I can hardly see!" he cried. Lector merely laughed.

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"That's not fair!" protested Mokuba. He leapt to his feet, fist clenched, glaring at the screen that was showing the duel.

"This is hardly a duel worth watching," Noah said, smirking.

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"Time to make your attack, Mr. Kaiba, but I doubt you can see what your doing," said Lector, thoroughly enjoying the confusion his opponent was in.

"Spear Dragon," Kaiba started, but there was a slight waver in his voice. He pointed to a distorted shape on the field. "Attack that card!"

The Spear Dragon once again took to the sky and attacked the monster card Kaiba was pointing at. In a flash of light his own Giant Germ vanished. The haze vanished from Seto's eyes.

"Ha! You destroyed your own monster!"

"That's what I was aiming for you foolish old man!" replied Kaiba, wiping his eyes just to be sure. "Because now I can activate my face down card! Reveal Crush Card!"

His viral trap card flipped over, ready to decimate the bulk of Lector's deck. There was a small explosion. The Crush Card vanished from the field.

"What happened?!" demanded Kaiba.

Lector replied with a chuckle.

Kaiba looked at the field like the expert duelist he was and noticed none of Lector's face down cards had moved. "How can this be?! Do you have the power to destroy trap cards?" Seto's blue eyes went wide. "Now I know what monster you are, Lector! The only monster I know with the power to destroy trap cards. Jinzo!"

Lector threw of the trench coat he had been wearing and the hat with it. The silver gas mask was actually part of his face.

"You're in a tight spot Mr. Kaiba. All your trap cards are completely useless. Prepare to lose your body to me forever!" gloated Lector. The smirk was clear in his tone. "I've been waiting for this for quite some time Mr. Kaiba, for years I stood by and watched as you ascended to power. That position should have been mine! As your step-father's right hand man, I not only helped run Kaiba Corp., I helped raise you. And how did you repay me? By taking away everything I worked so hard to gain!"

"And how did I do that Lector?" asked Kaiba, who was sounding rather irritated.

"I was next in line to run Kaiba Corp. until you forced your way to the top! I'll never forgive you for that!" spat Lector. He started to remind Seto of everything he had done, of the past Kaiba was trying so hard to run from.

xFlashback, four years agox

"Seto, as of today your formal education is over," said Gozaburo at the dinner table one night. Seto looked back at him with narrow eyes. What he said seemed good, but Gozaburo never did anything good. "It's time for you to start learning lessons in the real world. Now I have something to give you. I think you'll be quite pleased with it." He picked up a bell that was laying next to his fork and rang it. The potato-shaped butler entered, wheeling a food trolley that was hidden under a sheet. "Hopsin, present Seto with his gift of ten million dollars."

Hopsin pulled off the sheet to reveal stacks of cash. The brothers both couldn't help but gasp. It was more money than they had ever imagined.

"Relax you two," said Gozaburo, almost in the tone one would use on a dog. "Everything in life comes at a price. Don't think I'm just handing this money to you." He leaved his gave at Seto across the table. "I'm lending you this small fortune as a test. "

"A test?" asked younger Seto, skeptically.

"That's right," continued Gozaburo. "You have exactly one year to return to money to me, is that clear? But you must pay me ten times that amount next year."

Once again, all the brothers could do was gasp.

"If you pass this test, you will prove to me that you have the business skills necessary to call yourself a Kaiba," Gozaburo said. "This is all explained in your contract. Pass and you earn the last name Kaiba. Fail and it's back to the orphanage." Hopsin placed a clip board with several sheets of printed paper in front of younger Seto.

After only a moment's thought, younger Seto replied, "I accept."

"A very wise decision on your part," said Gozaburo, not intending it to be a compliment. "My assistant Lector is the only one allowed to help you. You have one year to pass." Lector stepped forward from behind Gozaburo.

xxxxx

"What are you going to do Seto?" asked an eight-year-old Mokuba. "I mean, turning ten million dollars into a hundred million dollars in one year seems impossible." They were talking in Seto's room, with Lector watching. Young Seto had taken all of his Duel Monsters cards and lined them up in ten rows of ten. He was flipping them over, starting in the upper left corner and working his way down and over.

"Don't worry," replied young Kaiba. "See business is just another game. There are a hundred cards here, right? Now pretend each card represents a piece of a company."

"Yeah…" replied young Mokuba, a bit uncertain.

"Well, this is where it all becomes a game," explained young Seto. "The trick is to own more cards than anyone else. If you can do that you'll control the company."

"And how many cards do you need to do that?" asked his brother.

"The magic number is 51," answered fourteen-year-old Kaiba. "No one else can ever have more cards than you as long as you have 51 out of 100." He paused for a moment, the turned back to Lector. "Hey Lector, I want you to use all ten million dollars of my money and buy me 51% of a company."

"What company sir?" asked Lector, a bit surprised.

"It doesn't matter as long as they value their workers."

xxxxx

It was a few days later, but the scene had not changed. Lector knocked on the door to Kaiba's room.

"Come in," said young Seto.

"Sir, I have found and purchased the perfect company," said Lector.

xxxxx

Lector drove them to the company he had bought. Before they entered, he stopped them outside the gates and explained the purchase.

"This company is known for treating its employee's like family," said Lector/

"Cool! You're very own company!" chimed young Mokuba "Is it going to make you all the money you need?"

"Good question," agreed young Kaiba. "You see, this company doesn't make much money, but there is a way I can use this company to get what I need. Right now. Force the president to run the company my way."

Mokuba gasped slightly, though he didn't know what his brother was planning. What had caused him to gasp was the ever-familiar cold tone Seto had used. This was the first time Mokuba had ever heard it, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

xxxxx

"What?! You want me to buy the company back at ten times the price?!" gasped the former president of the company. They were in his office, Lector, Seto, and Mokuba. The president looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Lector looked amused, if not a bit surprised and puzzled. Mokuba was the most surprised. But Kaiba was wearing a look that would not leave his face even in present time.

"Because if you don't, I'll shut this place down, leaving all of your employees jobless," threatened young Seto.

"You are horrible and you leave me with no choice," resigned the former president.

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_"What a jerk, that Gozaburo,"_ thought Shayla. _"I know last names are inherited upon adoption. I don't know what he was trying to pull, and I don't understand why Kaiba was trying to hard to be part of it. I do know that being threatened with being returned to an orphanage is a whole lot more serious than anyone else here can understand. I'd do almost anything not to go back."_

_"But still, what Kaiba did…extorting the money he needed from that man…that wasn't right. It was wrong, flat-out wrong and I don't care why. I know in my heart that there is always another way to get something done, a way without hurting…destroying someone like that."_

_"'There isn't enough people in the world who help others, so help others, because it is the right thing to do,'"_ Shayla thought, but it wasn't her voice saying the words. The speaker was the one who had first spoken those words to her…Luther.

"Oh…" she moaned. But the details of that day were coming back to her.

xFlashbackx

It was the first time Shayla had a real conversation with Luther. They were sitting on a large rock on the other side of the fence of the orphanage. There was a bush and some long grass that hid them from all but the most observant.

"…But why? I don't understand…" said Shayla, who was calling herself Enola at the time. Her voice was cracking and wavering and she was trying to bring it under control, but she couldn't. "Why are you wasting all this time on me?"

"Because…well, because of something my mom said," he answered. There was a slight waver when he mentioned his mother because she had only recently died and left him and Martin alone in the world.

"What did she say?" asked Enola/Shayla curiously, but she was also taking deep breaths trying to calm down. It wasn't working and that was only making things worse. And she hated not having control like that.

"It was one of the last things she said to me…I think she was a bit mad at the way the people in the hospital acted towards us," Luther sighed nostalgically. "She said, 'No matter what, I want you to do your best to help people, Luther. There isn't enough people in the world who help others, so help others, because it is the right thing to do.'"

"And I asked her, 'Why do the right thing?'" continued Luther. "I'll never forget the look she gave me when she said that. She told me, 'Because if you don't do the right thing, you might as well not have a soul.' I think she was trying to intimidate me a bit, even though she was so sick. But I think there's a lot of truth to what she said."

"What does that have to do with me?" asked Enola.

"Because of what I asked her next," replied Luther. "I asked her, 'How do I know who to help? How will I know who needs help?' And she said, 'You have a good heart, you will know, so just trust your heart.' And my heart told me not to give up on you."

"I still….that's…." stammered Enola, feeling like she was being torn in half.

"Trust me please," said Luther. "Not everyone is out to get you."

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"With my help you made ten times your money back in that one day. And you got all the credit," Lector continued.

"Well, of course, it was my business skills that earned me that money Lector," replied Kaiba, as if he was talking to a child. "All you did was follow orders. That's all you were good for. You never once had your own idea. You couldn't have run Kaiba Corp.."

"Not only could I, but I will!" snapped Lector. "Once I escape to the real world in your body."

"You've been doing a poor job at that so far," replied Kaiba. "Since my Giant Germ was destroyed, I can summon another to the field." A Giant Germ materialized next to his Spear Dragon.

"You're just delaying your eventual destruction Mr. Kaiba," said Lector. "Since I have assumed the form of Jinzo, all of your trap cards are useless. And you of all people should know that no one wins a duel with monsters alone."

"Lector, I would never lose this game to you," replied Kaiba, haughtily.

"You'll lose so much more than just this game," growled Jinzo.

"Just hurry up so I can win this," said Seto.

"I play two cards face down," announced Lector.

"That was a waste," said Kaiba as he drew a card. "Spear Dragon, attack his face down monster!" His dragon took to the skies once more, aiming for the unknown monster.

"Nice try but I'm afraid your attack is useless, because I activate Cyber Jar!" yelled Lector as his monster was revealed. It had the shape of a jar, but that was about it. It was steel plated. The monster tipped towards Kaiba, revealing a blue top that opened like a jaw. Like a vacuum it inhaled all the monsters on the field. Giant Germ and Spear Dragon were absorbed into the void. Kaiba raised an arm to shield his face. The virtual world created a real vacuum unlike his holograms in reality.

BOOM! Cyber Jar self-destructed, taking all the monsters it had consumed with it.

"Now, we both have to draw five cards and immediately summon any monster with four stars or lower to the field," explained Lector.

"I know that," glowered Seto. "I summon Vorse Raider and Twin-Headed Behemoth!" Vorse Raider was a beast-warrior with a strange semi-reptilian face and unusual green and violet armor. It carried a long curved sword. Twin-Headed Behemoth was a two-headed, violet dragon. It was one of the smaller dragons in Kaiba's deck, ironically. Vorse Raider had an attack of 1900, and the behemoth had 1500 attack points.

"I summoned Injection Fairy Lily," announced Lector. His monster was female, which irritated Shayla. She was a tight-fitting nurse's outfit and had bright red hair. In her hand was a syringe as long as she was. Two dove wings adorned her back. But she only had an attack of 400.

"That's the best you've got?" asked Kaiba.

"Don't underestimate my fairy Lily," replied Lector. "It was worth summoning, even though it cost me a few life points to activate Cyber Jar." He now had 1700 life points while Kaiba had all of his.

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"So they both start over," said Noah, casually.

"Go Seto!" cheered Mokuba.

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"My turn and Solemn Wishes give me 500 more life points," announced Lector. "Then I'll start by activating my Magic Watch Tranquilizer." He held out his right arm and a watch formed on it. "The dart on this watch contains a poison that will weaken whatever monster I chose. And I chose your Vorse Raider." He raised his arm and launched the dart. It hit Kaiba's Vorse Raider in the neck. The Duel Monster groaned in pain. "Since Vorse Raider is a four-star monster, it loses 400 attack points."

"It is still more than strong enough to wipe out your fairy," Kaiba said contemptuously.

"Just watch as I activate Lily's special ability Mr. Kaiba," retorted Lector. "By giving up 2000 of my life points, I can increase Lily's attack by 3000 points!" His life points dropped to a low 200. The syringe in Lily's hands tripled in size and giving her a total of 3400 attack points.

"And that's not all Mr. Kaiba," said Lector. "I activate Sebek's Blessing, which gives me back some of the life points I lost." The brought him back to 2100 life points. "Now Lily, attack his Vorse Raider!" Lily jumped onto her syringe like a witch on a broom. Her wings opened and she flew like an arrow to Kaiba's Vorse Raider. His beast-warrior disintegrated in the explosion. Kaiba's life points dropped all the way to 1200.

"You won't be able to recover from the blow I just delivered," gloated Lector.

"I play one card face down and switch my behemoth to defense mode," said Kaiba._ "I have conquered every challenge life has given me. This will be no different."_

"I activate Life Absorbing Machine,' said Lector as he started his next turn. "This card will recover half of the life points I lost last turn, not that I need extra life points to ensure my victory, but it couldn't hurt."

"Get on with it."

"Fine, I place one monster on the field," said Lector. "But then I tribute it to special summon my ultimate monster!"

The card hologram vanished. But instead of a monster appearing in its place, there was a rather large explosion. Kaiba ducked from it. When he looked up Lector's newest monster was slicing through the atmosphere.

"What's that?!" he demanded.

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"Good thing we found this virtual pick-up truck," said Duke as the rest of the group drove down the highway.

"I still don't think we should have let Joe drive," replied Drake.

Joe was behind the wheel (the world is over). Kevin was in the co-pilot's seat. Ever since Kaiba had blown up at him, Joe was being friendly to the newcomer. Everyone else was in the back. Serenity was still holding the robotic monkey. Duke was unnecessarily close to her. Téa was leaning against the cabin of the truck. Yu-Gi was in the other front corner of the vehicle. Lara and Drake were sitting very close opposite of them.

"Well, it beats walking, that's for sure," said Yu-Gi "And it should help us to find…"

The vehicle came to a sudden stop as Joe slammed on the brakes. Kevin was the only one fortunate enough to have a seatbelt. Everyone else ended up in a heap in the back of the truck.

Duke had caught Serenity just as she started to fly forward. But the minute the monkey saw Duke's hands on her, it tried to claw his eyes out. Serenity held it tighter to keep it from hurting anyone. Téa was smushed, but her closeness to the front saved her from multiple bruises. Lara ended on top of Drake, cushioning her fall. Poor Yu-Gi was under all of them.

"What's the big idea?!" demanded Lara

"That…hurt…" groaned Drake.

"Why did you stop the truck?" Yu-Gi asked Joe, leaning towards the front window.

"Look Yug, what is that?" asked Joe as he pointed to an object soaring into the stratosphere.

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Yu-Gi

"It looks like some type of rocket," said Kevin, leaning his head out of the window.

"What's that?" asked Téa, who had not heard Kevin's comment.

"Some kind of virtual rocket I guess," Joe said with a shrug.

"Yeah but who launched it?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Well, there's only so many people running around in this video game," replied Drake.

"I don't think it's a good sign," added Lara.

"We should keep going," said Duke. "The sooner we get out of here the better."

_"The one up side to being trapped as a robot monkey is getting to hang out in Serenity's arms all day,"_ thought the robotic monkey as he happily snuggled deeper into Joe's sister's arms.

"We're looking for Tristan, remember?" Serenity said, firmly.

_"She's so cute when she acts tough and the best part is all she can think about is finding me,"_ thought the monkey as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. _"Maybe Serenity really likes me. Not that I can exactly blame her." _Unknowingly, the monkey flipped a switch on the back of its head. "I'm way cooler than that Romeo-wannabe Duke Deblin." He flipped the button again without knowing it.

"Weird, I could have sworn I just heard Tristan's voice," said Duke, looking around.

"Yeah. It came from him," agreed Téa, looking at the monkey suspiciously.

The monkey was still rubbing the back of its head and flipped the switch yet again, "If I stay stuck in this robo-chimp's body too long I may start chowing down on bananas and bugs."

"Um, Tristan?" asked Yu-Gi cautiously.

"Are you in there?" asked Téa, peering at the monkey.

"Did I say that out loud?" asked monkey Tristan.

"Yes you did," answered Drake. "And I thought the virtual world was as weird as it could possible get."

"Come here!" exclaimed Joe as he leapt out of the cab and grabbed the monkey by its neck. "Who are you?! I don't trust you one bit ape-boy!"

"Joe! It's me!" protested Tristan.

"I think you're a robot spy sent by Noah!" accused Joe.

"Not again with the spies!" groaned Kevin. "You need to lay off the James Bond ©!"

xxxxx

"Hey! I'm a monkey not a mad dog!" protested Tristan. They had decided it was best to be cautious. They had tied him to the back of the truck. They had resumed their trip down the highway.

"With the Big 5 running around in disguise, we're not taking any chances," explained Duke.

"I'm telling you its me! Cut a chimp some slack!" yelled Tristan.

"I believe you," said Kevin out the window. "I don't think the Big 5 would ever lower themselves to a robotic monkey."

"Thanks a lot!" snapped Tristan.

"I agree with Kevin," said Drake. "Noah built this world and he probably had been watching every move we have made and he doesn't need cameras to do it, that's how the virtual world works, since he has complete control of it. He wouldn't need a robotic monkey to spy on us."

"Complete control?" asked Lara. "That can't mean anything good for us, especially if Noah can turn people into robotic animals."

"It's a spy!" Joe yelled back at them. This caused him to swerve harshly to the right, forcing everyone to grab the sides of the vehicle.

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Now, Mr. Kaiba, where were we? Oh yeah, I have three times as many life points as you and was about to finish you off," said Lector. That was true, it was 3600 to 1200, but the duel was far from over.

"Just try."

"Have it your way. I activate Lily's special ability again by giving up 2000 of my life points," said Lector. His life points dropped to 1600 and Lily's attack rose to 3400 again. "Now Lily, attack his Twin-Headed Behemoth!"

Once again Lily shot forward and her super-sized syringe. Kaiba's monster was blown to bits the moment Lilt struck it.

"One thing about Twin-Headed Behemoth, it makes a quick recovery," said Kaiba as his monster reformed in front of him. But that effect could only be used once per duel.

"I place one card face down," continued Lector. "Then I activate Emergency Provisions. I destroy my two face-down magic cards to increase my life points by 500 for each magic card I destroyed." This brought him up to 2600 life points.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, but that was all the reply Lector got.

"At this point wiping you out will be simple and seizing control of your body will be even simpler!" laughed Lector. Beside him was a gauge that was the only evidence of his tributed monster. The gauge had three levels. As Lector finished his turn, the needle on the gauge twitched ahead one level.

SCREECH! Kaiba turned at the sound of a pick-up truck coming to a halt. The road was still out behind him. If Joe hadn't stopped when he did, they'd all be swimming, although some looked ready to strangle him for the sudden stop.

"Guys! It's Kaiba!" exclaimed Yu-Gi as the gang piled out of the truck nursing bruises.

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"Excellent, the gang's all here," said Noah. "Now Seto you have an audience to witness your destruction.."

"They actually found him…" said Mokuba, who seemed a bit surprised. "Seto's going to cream that freak, then he'll rescue me! Go it?!"

"You seem quite confident that your brother cares about you Mokuba. Well guess again," shot Noah.

Mokuba gasped in surprise.

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"Yug, Kaiba's up against one of the baddest deck masters of all times!" exclaimed Joe.

"You're right Joe! It's Jinzo!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

"And you know what that means," continued Joe.

"I sure do, it means that Kaiba's trap cards are totally useless," replied Yu-Gi

"Oh no! How can he win with half a deck?" asked Téa.

"Isn't that the Lord of Dragons?" asked Lara, looking at Kaiba's Deck Master. She turned to Drake. "But that was the same…"

"Don't say it!" exclaimed Drake. His eyes had narrowed considerably at the very idea that he had something in common with the Kaiba Corp. CEO.

"L_ector thinks he's got me backed into a corner. But that old fool is in for quite a surprise," _thought Kaiba as he drew his next card. "Looks like there's bad weather ahead."

He slid a magic card into place on his duel disk. "I activate Heavy Storm, which will destroy all of your magic and trap cards! So much for that!" But much to Kaiba's surprise, none of the cards on the field moved.

"As your father's right hand man I learned to anticipate his every move. And that's exactly what I've just done to you!" exclaimed Lector. "I activate Imperial Order!"

"That's trouble!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

"What does it do?" asked Serenity.

"It destroys all of Kaiba's magic cards," explained Yu-Gi, "though it costs Lector 700 life points each turn."

"No magic card or no trap cards!" said Kevin. "That's one position I wouldn't want to be in."

"Come on Kaiba! The duel isn't over yet!" called Téa.

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"Hang in there…" said Mokuba, softly, as he stared intently at the screen.

_"Finally, one of the Big 5 can hold his own,"_ thought Noah.

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"My turn," said Lector. "First I gain life points from Solemn Wishes and Life Absorbing Machine, then I pay 700 to keep Imperial Order in play." After much raising and lowering, his life points stopped at 3400. "Now, it's time to show you the power of my ultimate weapon. Satellite Cannon, begin firing sequence." Lector looked up at the sky when he said that, but he turned back to Kaiba. "When you took over Kaiba Corp. you destroyed all the missiles your father had worked so hard to build, so it's quite fitting that I use this satellite missile to destroy you!"

BOOM! The ground right in front of Kaiba exploded, destroying his face down monster which was briefly revealed as Wicked Worm Beast. The blast came from somewhere far above the duel, leaving every present scanning the skies for the source.

"You seem a little stunned to me Mr. Kaiba," gloated Lector.

"How can I stop a weapon that's up there?!" demanded Kaiba.

"You can't," replied Lector. "Orbiting the earth at an altitude of 240 miles. My Satellite Cannon is virtually unreachable. "

"It can't be beat!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"Yes it can," replied Drake. "But only by a monster with seven stars or more that can fly."

"That's unreal!" exclaimed Kevin.

"I've never heard of a duel monster that can attack from outer space!" commented Joe.

"My Satellite Cannon is so high in the earth's atmosphere that it is shielded from almost every monster," continued Lector

"Almost?" asked Seto. "How do you know I don't have a monster in my deck that can reach it Lector?"

"Trust me, by the time you summon a monster that can attack my satellite it will be too powerful to destroy," said Lector. "At last the mighty Seto Kaiba is about to lose everything he has. And it serves you right for destroying your own step-father and betraying the Big 5. Now its time you pay the price for using others to get what you want, even your own brother!"

"What's he talking about?" asked Yu-Gi.

"I don't know," answered Téa. "But there is one thing I know, and that is that Kaiba would never hurt Mokuba.

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"No way! Seto and I are a team!" yelled Mokuba.

"Not all the time. Mokuba," replied Noah, coolly. "It's time you learn the harsh truth about your brother. Listen to what Lector has to say."

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"You'll stop at nothing to get what you want Mr. Kaiba, even if it means deceiving those most loyal to you," continued Lector. "Your treachery began when your step-father, Gozaburo gave you ten million dollars to test your business skills. When you increased the cash by threatening the smaller company he was impressed by your ability and your cruelty. But that wasn't good enough for you. You wanted more."

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_"This is definitely a private matter,"_ thought Shayla. _"And I do not want to be involved in it. I have a feeling I'd be better off not knowing what happened."_

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xFlashbackx

The Big 5 had been gathered into one of Kaiba Corp's meeting rooms. They all looked rather puzzled. Fifteen-year-old Seto Kaiba sat across from them.

"As KC board of directors, we are curious why you called us all here," asked one of them.

"I'll get straight to the point," said Seto in a very professional tone. "You are all very talented men, but my step-father treats you like dirt. I have come to you today with a proposition you'd be fools to refuse. Sign on to my plan and we will rule Kaiba Corp. together."

"So slowly we all started buying pieces of Kaiba Corp. to try ans take over the company but getting the 51% we needed proved difficult," Lector narrated. "Then we realized that someone was leaking our plan to Gozaburo Kaiba and you told us that that someone was your little brother Mokuba!"

There was much gasping at this point.

The scene changed. They were back in Seto's room. The 100 Duel Monsters cards he had been using as counters were thrown everywhere. The Big 5 were there, watching. Mokuba looked positively terrified, while Seto looked completely enraged.

"Seto!" protested young Mokuba.

"Tell me! How could you rat me out like that?!" demanded young Seto.

"I didn't tell Gozaburo I swear! Seto!" protested Mokuba.

"You liar! Get out of my sight!" yelled young Seto, pushing him down.

"I'll never forget that, the most horrible day of my life," said Mokuba as he listed to Lector.

"By turning on your little brother you forced Mokuba to run to your step-father Gozaburo for comfort," Lector continued. "Of course, Gozaburo had his own agenda. Mokuba owned 2% of Kaiba Corp., exactly the amount Gozaburo needed to stay in control."

He jumped ahead to another point in time. Once again everyone was gathered in a meeting room. Seto Kaiba and the Big 5 were sitting opposite of Gozaburo.

"I have something to tell you," glowered young Kaiba. "The Big 5 and I have decided to take control of Kaiba Corp.."

"Wrong, but nice try," said Gozaburo. "See, I knew about your plan to buy out Kaiba Corp., but you were only able to buy 49%. And I'm afraid that leaves me with 51. You lose Seto because this company is still mine!" He slammed a fist onto the tabletop and glared at the Big 5. "And as for you 5, for betraying me you're all fired and I'll make sure you never work in this town again! Now clean out your desks and get out of my sight now! And don't think you're off the hook Seto, you're heading back to the orphanage where ungrateful brats like you belong!"

_"I know what Kaiba did to that smaller company was wrong,"_ thought Shayla. _"But this Gozaburo is evil and needed to be stopped…and Kaiba did do a lot of good when he took control of Kaiba Corp., like destroying all the weapons."_ She sighed. Kaiba's actions, words, and tones always confused her. Shayla didn't know what to make of them. She also wondered why she let those facts bother her. _"Kaiba has got to be the most two-faced person I know. … I do not want to be involved in this…"_

Young Mokuba threw open the door to the meeting room. "Not quite! He's staying!"

"What?" asked young Kaiba.

"Easy! Because I'm giving my 2% of KC straight to you!" replied young Mokuba.

"You're making a mistake Mokuba! Remember how badly he treated you!" yelled Gozaburo.

"Seto and I are a team! I'd never turn my back on him!" replied young Mokuba.

"You are a fool!" bellowed Gozaburo.

"I've made up my mind," replied young Mokuba

"You've heard my brother, now I'm the new president of Kaiba Corp.!" said young Seto.

"NOOOOO!!!!" screamed Gozaburo.

xEnd Flashbackx

"Gozaburo was so ashamed that he ran away. No one has heard from him sense. So your cruel plan worked," said Lector, venomously.

"What's your point Lector?" asked Kaiba, ice-cold.

"You played us like fools! Mokuba wasn't the snitch! It was you, wasn't it Mr. Kaiba?!" accused Lector.

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" I don't believe it!" yelled Mokuba.

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"You knew that your step-father liked people to think they were winning so that when he beat them they'd feel that much worse!" continued Lector. "So you used Mokuba as a pawn! You began leaking info about your plan to Gozaburo and made everyone, including him, think it was Mokuba. Your step-father let you gain 49% of his company, thinking Mokuba would give him the 2% he needed to stay in control. But you knew better, didn't you Mr. Kaiba. You knew that your little bro would be loyal to you no matter how poorly you treated him."

"You're wrong!" countered Kaiba. "Mokuba was the only one I trusted! I knew that together we could take our step-father down!"

"You used him to achieve your own selfish goals!" yelled Lector. "You toyed with your brother's emotions and took advantage of his trust in you. Then you destroyed the very man who rescued you from the orphanage!"

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"That's enough! Seto would never hurt me on purpose!" yelled Mokuba. Noah was looking rather amused by the whole thing.

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"You never intended to run Kaiba Corp. with us as a team like you promised," accused Lector. "When became president you took away our responsibilities. You used me! You use everyone including your little brother!"

"Look Lector, life is a game and if you can't win it don't play! Now lets duel!," replied Kaiba.

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_"He didn't deny it,"_ Shayla noticed. _"Then again Kaiba isn't the type to get into a debate over his past with anyone. I hate this, this whole place is filled with liars! It makes me sick! And that Lector has some nerve to talk about betrayals, the Big 5 are the biggest traitors I have ever heard of!"_

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"I summon Spirit Ryu to the field!" declared Kaiba. His newest dragon looked like a dark-blue winged snake. Its attack was only 1000.

"It still can't match my fairy Lily's special ability," reminded Lector. "You'll never be able to win this duel with such pathetic monsters and no magic or trap cards, so just give up now."

"Speaking of winning, watch this!" said Kaiba, a spark in his blue eyes. "I activate Spirit Ryu's special ability. It gains 1000 attack points from every dragon monster in my hand that I discard, and I have two!" That brought Spirit Ryu's attack up to 3000. "Now, Spirit Ryu, attack his fairy with Sonic Blast Attack!"

"Kaiba no!" yelled Yu-Gi.

"Aw man, he should have seen that coming! Kaiba's going to lose the duel!" groaned Joe.

"Do you really think that's a bad thing?" asked Drake.

"It might force him to learn some manners," agreed Kevin.

"Activate Lily's special ability!" announced Lector as he gave up 2000 life points.

Lily and Spirit Ryu charged head on. When the light of battle faded, Lily was the only monster standing.

"I don't know what game your playing Mr. Kaiba, but with only 800 LP left, you won't be playing it for much longer!" growled Jinzo.

"Why did Kaiba let him destroy that monster?" asked Duke.

"I think the pressure has gotten to him," answered Joe.

"Wait guys! I've just figured out Kaiba's strategy!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

"He has a strategy?" asked Téa. "It looks a bit self-destructive to me."

"He meant to do that?" asked Joe. Yu-Gi nodded.

"Now, Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack his Injection Fairy Lily!" ordered Kaiba.

"No! I don't have enough life points to increase her strength!" yelled Lector since he only had 1400 life points.

"My plan worked!" replied Kaiba. "I forced you to give up 2000 life points this move so you couldn't power up your fairy this move!" As he spoke, his behemoth shredded Lector's fairy monster. That made Lector even with Kaiba in life points at 800.

"You see guys, lector has to give up life points to activate his best cards. So he needs his life points to be high," explained Yu-Gi.

"But can Kaiba pull off a victory with Satellite Cannon still in orbit?" asked Drake.

Lector started to draw a card to begin his next turn.

"Wait lector, don't forget to pay 700 life points if you want to keep Imperial Order in play," said Kaiba.

"I can't afford to give up that much," groaned Lector. "So I'll destroy it."

"Nice! Now Kaiba can use his magic cards again!" cheered Joe.

"Now I understand Kaiba's plan," said Duke. "If Lector can't restore his life points then his whole dueling strategy goes down the drain."

"The way he always raises his life points is actually a big weakness," commented Kevin. "If you can stop the flow. That's how I beat him."

"Lector, how can you expect to run Kaiba Corp. if you can't even control the numbers in a simple game of Duel Monsters?" taunted Kaiba.

Lector's two trap cards raise him up to 1650 life points as he started his next turn. "I play one monster in defense mode. Now, Satellite Cannon, attack!"

There was a long column of light that fell from the sky, blowing the Twin-Headed Behemoth to atoms.

"Your move Mr. Kaiba," replied Lector.

"Then I activate Pot of Greed," replied Kaiba. "That lets me draw to more cards. Now, I summon Possessed Dark Soul to the field!" This monster looked like a human who had been engulfed in flames. Its stats were 1200 and 800. "Attack his face down monster!"

There was a wave of fire from Kaiba's Possessed Dark Soul. It struck Lector's monster, revealing it as a small, blue skinned girl. But then the beam of fire reflected off of her and disappeared into space.

"That's my Dreamsprite," said Lector. "It reflects an incoming attack to another one of my monsters, like my Satellite Cannon."

Shayla was frowning. She disliked it when people like him used her favorite cards. She knew there was nothing she could do about it, but she still didn't like it. That was the part of her that caused her to chose the name Justice what seemed like another lifetime ago. She felt that people like Lector didn't deserve the cards she used because of their hearts.

"Hold on! Kaiba's monster isn't strong enough to reach that high!" protested Joe.

"I thought Lector was still planning something," said Drake.

"But there is other ways to destroy monsters than in a battle," reminded Lara. "And now that Kaiba can use his magic cards again, that is a possibility."

Lector's life points rose to 2150 as he started his next turn. "You won't make it passed my next turn. My Satellite Cannon gains 1000 attack points for each turn it's on the field, and next turn it will be strong enough to wipe out any monster you summon!" The gauge twitched up another level, giving it 2000 attack points. "I'll end my turn now."

"That snake! How come he didn't attack?!" asked Joe.

"You heard him Joe, he's charging up his cannon for one final attack," answered Yu-Gi.

"Well, that would only be a problem if Kaiba left his monsters in attack mode," said Kevin.

"He can't win if he's defending," Téa said.

"You're right," admitted Kevin. "In fact, I think that an angel like you must always be right."

"Now is not the time, Romeo," said Duke. Kevin shrugged.

"Does Kaiba have a monster strong enough to crush that thing?" Joe asked.

"No duh," said Drake, inaudibly.

"Wait a minute, there might be one," said Yu-Gi. "But who knows if he can summon it in time?"

_"It all comes down to this next draw,"_ thought Kaiba as he placed his hand on the top of his deck.

_"Come on Seto,"_ Mokuba silently cheered.

Kaiba could hardly repress a smile when he looked at the card, "And now behold my ultimate creature!"

"Oh?" asked Lector.

"First, I play this card face down," said Kaiba.

"That's not an ultimate creature," said Lara in disbelief, but Kaiba wasn't done yet.

"Then, I activate my Deck Master's special ability," said Kaiba. "For 500 life points and the right number of tributes, I can summon and dragon from my deck!" In a flash of light his Blue-Eyes, White Dragon rose in front of him with a loud bellow.

"Yes!" cheered the teens.

"No!" gasped Lector.

"That's your target!" yelled Kaiba, pointing into the sky. The Blue-Eyes flapped its large wingspan and took to the skies. Soon, it was out of sight in the clouds.

"No! Do you have any idea what this means?!" cried Lector.

"I know exactly what this means! This duel's over!" replied Kaiba. "Satellite Cannon only has attack points right before it attacks, otherwise its stats are 0."

"NO!"

"You should have known better than to challenge me! White lightning!" ordered Kaiba

There was a roll of thunder from somewhere overhead. A few seconds later the sky looked like a star shower as glowing fragments of the Satellite Cannon floated down. It was beautiful.

"How romantic," cooed Lara, taking Drake's hand in her own.

"Looks like you won't be leaving cyber space any time soon," Kaiba said to Lector.

"Nice job!" encouraged Yu-Gi.

"You wasted that Big 5 creep!" added Joe.

"I guess we'll have to find another way to get rid of that jerk," shrugged Kevin. "But I guess he has to be better than the Big 5…I guess…"

"No! I was so close to finally escaping this digital dungeon," groaned Lector as he slid to his knees in despair.

Kaiba raced over. "Where's Mokuba?!"

"You'll never see your little brother again, however I'll be back!" said Lector as his body broke into digital bits. With him gone, the road mysteriously reformed. The other teens quickly hurried across it.

Kevin looked down at the virtual waters below them and gasped.

"What is it?" asked Téa.

"I know I saw something down there, and it was big," said Kevin.

"See what?" asked Serenity, who followed his eyesight down to the waters.

"It just dove," answered Kevin.

"What was it?" asked Téa.

"I don't know, but it was creepy," answered Kevin. "It looked sort of like a hippo…no, more like a crocodile."

"I think you have been in this virtual world too long," said Téa.

"That is true, but I know I saw something," protested Kevin.

"Come on guys, you don't know if that bridge is going to disappear again," said Lara. That was enough to cause the three of them to run across to the other side where scorch marks from the duel marred the streets.

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"I knew Seto would crush that creep!" cheered Mokuba.

"Mokuba, how can you still be on your brother's side? He used you to control Kaiba Corp.," asked Noah, who was genuinely surprised.

"I'll stand by my brother no matter what. We're family and nothing is going to separate us. Nothing," said Mokuba, confidently.

_"I'll show him," _thought Noah, viciously.__

"Mokuba! I'm coming!" Seto yelled at the top of his lungs. But Noah caused the screen to go blank before Mokuba could hear it.

_"I don't believe it!"_ thought Noah._ "This is ridiculous! Even after everything I've shown him from his past, all those times Seto mistreated him, and he's still being loyal to his brother. I'm sick of Seto getting everything and leaving me with nothing! I deserve to have what he has! And I'll start with his little brother! From now on I'll make sure Mokuba is loyal to me instead of Seto! I'll crush him by taking the one thing he'd thought he'd never lose, Mokuba's trust!"_

"What do you think your brother is thinking right now?" asked Noah, with a false calm.

"Huh?"

"Tell me, do you really think your brother is coming to rescue you? Or is he glad you're out of his way?" asked Noah.

"Seto is definitely coming here to get me. And when he does you'll be sorry," replied Mokuba.

"Is that right? Well why don't you ask him yourself because he's right behind you," said Noah. He had caused a virtual projection of Kaiba to form while they were talking.

"Huh?" asked Mokuba as he turned around "Seto! That was fast! I knew you'd come get me!" He leapt over the couch and raced to what he thought was his brother.

"Ugh, don't take another step Mokuba. Take a seat!" yelled virtual Kaiba as he pushed Mokuba down. "You little brat, I am sick and tired of you always holding me back. It's your fault we are still stuck here!"

"Seto! No!"

"Get a life," growled virtual Kaiba as he walked away, back to Mokuba.

"Come back! Seto!" begged Mokuba. "You can't leave me here with him! Seto… What happened?"

"What did I tell you?" asked Noah, walking over. "It looks to me like your so-called brother couldn't care less where you end up. But I on the other hand would like to help you Mokuba." He put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Let me be honest with you. I can see that you are different from the others. So I'll save you."

"Save me? But you're the one who trapped me here…" Mokuba trailed off when he looked into Noah's eyes, which were glowing a hypnotic red.

Mokuba gasped slightly, then a spaced-out expression crossed his face.

"I didn't do anything. I'm your friend. Seto is your enemy. I am the only one in this world you can trust," said Noah with a pseudo-soothing tone.

"You're the only one I can trust…" echoed Mokuba, blankly.


	9. Noah's Secret

(AN/ I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but last chapter marked the 100th page of this fic! xThrows a partyx And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! J)

The majority of the group was still on the bridge over the ocean, trying to figure out what to do next. The answer presented itself for them.

"Well, Seto…" said Noah, haughtily, from somewhere in the air.

"Huh?" asked Kaiba, looking around for the boy. "Well what?" He sounded down-right ticked.

Noah laughed. "You may have won your duel, but you have lost something more important. Your brother," gloated Noah. As he spoke a virtual car tunnel appeared on the road in front of them. As soon as it faded into existence, it looked completely normal sitting there. It was hard to see too far down it, though, because the lighting was very poor.

"Where is he?" growled Kaiba.

"Proceed ahead and you may find him," said Noah.

That was all Seto Kaiba needed to hear. He raced into the tunnel. "Mokuba! I'm on my way!"

"Kaiba! Come back! That may be a trap!" warned Yu-Gi.

"Just stay out of this Yugi!" snapped Kaiba, looking over his shoulder.

"What?" asked Yu-Gi, who sounded surprised.

"Who do you think you are?" demanded Joe. "No one talks to my friends like that!"

"This does not concern you Wheeler, it's family business," snapped Seto as he raced into the tunnel. The darkness soon swallowed him from sight.

"ARGH!" growled Joe in frustration. "Okay, fine, lose your body for all we care you stuck-up jerk! Who needs him? We're better off without him anyways. Right Yu-Gi?"

"Good-bye and good riddance Kaiba," agreed Kevin.

"I'm sure he can take care of himself," shrugged Drake.

"Hold on guys," said Yu-Gi. "We need to help him save Mokuba."

"Yeah, if he finds Noah then he might find my body," agreed monkey Tristan, who was still in Serenity's arms.

"Right, following Kaiba might be the only way to save Tristan," Serenity said with determination flashing in her eyes.

"That's right! I knew you'd really believe it's me in here Serenity. I can always count on you," said Tristan, hugging her.

Duke walked over, frowning. He grabbed Tristan by the tail and held him in the air. "For all we know, you're Noah's pet baboon."

Tristan made monkey noises in anger.

"We can't let Kaiba go alone," said Yu-Gi, bring them back on topic. "I'm going to go in after him." With that the shortest member of the group darted into the mysterious tunnel.

"Hey Yu-Gi, wait!" called Joe, trying to stop him.

"I'm going too!" shouted Téa, following him.

I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I let you go in while I stayed behind, Téa," said Kevin, catching up with her.

"Give me a break!" shouted Joe, but the three were already hidden by the shadows.

"This isn't good, now we're all split up again," said Lara. "And that's just what Noah wants."

"I can't believe they're going through all that trouble for Kaiba," commented Duke.

"…Great. Now what are we going to do?" asked Joe.

"We're going to get in there and help Kaiba find Mokuba," replied Serenity, vehemently.

"No can do. I'm sick of helping Kaiba and not getting any 'thank yous'," replied her brother, instantly.

"I'm with you, if we were in trouble Kaiba would never go in after us," agreed Duke.

"If we were in trouble, Kaiba would probably be pushing us in deeper," added Drake.

"Well guys…suit yourselves!" exclaimed Serenity, bolting forward to the tunnel, still carrying Tristan.

"I can't believe this! Even my own sister won't listen to me!" exclaimed Joe, tearing at his head in frustration.

"Smart girl," smirked Lara.

"I'm going in!" exclaimed Joe, not hearing her comment.

"Come on! Can't we talk about this?" protested Duke. Serenity was at the lip of the tunnel, but before she could enter it faded out of existence. It now looked like it had never been there in the first place.

"The tunnel! It's gone!" exclaimed Duke.

"Yu-Gi! Tea!" gasped Joe.

"That Noah has some nerve," growled Drake. "We're going to have to be careful, he's up to something."

Lara nodded. "Worse part is, he managed to split us up."

"I guess that means we have to stick together at all costs," replied Tristan.

"Save it robo-spy," snapped Joe.

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Kaiba was running down the dark tunnel as fast as he could, fueled by the desire to find his brother. He was determined not to let anything stop him. He was mad when he had to stop because the road forked.

"I should have know this wouldn't be easy," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I'm tired of your tricks Noah." With that he raced down the right-hand tunnel.

Kaiba had hardly gone any distance when a very familiar voice reached his ears, "Seto! Help me!"

"Mokuba…" he said, hurrying even faster. He looked down a side tunnel and saw a short silhouette. "Is that you over there?"

"Seto…." replied the figure.

"Mokuba!" exclaimed Seto, running to him. But when he got within a few yards, Mokuba's feature blurred and shifted into another form. Noah was the one standing there in Mokuba's clothing. Kaiba gasped in surprise. "Noah! What have you done with him?!"

Noah replied with a sly smirk and started to float in the air. A blinding light flared from behind him, absorbing the entire area. When the light faded, they were both gone.

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Yu-Gi, Téa, and Kevin had just made it to the same fork in the road that Kaiba did. They were looking down both shadowy tunnels, trying to decide which way to go. They were completely identical, which was little help.

"Great…Want to flip a coin?" asked Yu-Gi.

"No. This way," said Téa as she started running down the left-hand tunnel.

"Tea! Are you sure about that?" asked Yu-Gi.

"I have absolutely no idea," she replied brightly, looking back over her shoulder.

"That makes two of us," sighed Yu-Gi, hurrying after her.

"Make that three," agreed Kevin, hurrying after Yu-Gi. "Careful! This place is dangerous! You never know what kind of traps Noah might be using!"

"Slow down Tea!" called Yu-Gi. "Your legs are longer than mine, remember?"

"Make that three," said Kevin as he and Yu-Gi tried to catch up with Téa.

They did, though they were both breathing hard by the time they got close to her. Téa was in great shape from endless hours dancing, one thing the guys hadn't counted on. They ran on in winded silence for a few moments before a flicker of light could be seen directly ahead.

"Check it out guys!" exclaimed Téa.

"Yeah, there's a light ahead," agreed Yu-Gi.

"That means we chose the right path!" said Téa, happily.

"I thought we chose the left path," said Kevin. Then he smiled at Téa. "Well, since you picked it, it must be the right one. Goddesses like you don't make mistakes."

"Erm…" stammered Téa, blushing a hair at the flattery.

"Well, we're about to find out," said Yu-Gi.

The light suddenly flared around them, engulfing them. It faded a moment later. The dark tunnel had dissolved. Now the three were in the middle of a large, overgrown forest. They were standing on a narrow path the lead to a manor. The manor was painted white, but the paint was chipping. The wrought iron fence was rusting. It must have been magnificent at one time, but now it was dilapidated. It was two-stories high with a balcony the size of a small ball room on the second floor. Several large pillars supported it. Ivy grew up the sides and the gardens were now growing weeds.

"It's some kind of old mansion or something…really old," said Téa, looking it over. Yu-Gi walked over to the fence to get a better look. "Be careful Yu-Gi."

"Whatever this place is, someone doesn't want us going in there. I wonder why," comment Yu-Gi.

"I don't trust it," said Kevin. "I've seen Noah pull traps in situations like this before."

"Hey, do you hear what I hear?" asked Téa, listening careful.

"That's a good song, but it's not Christmas time," joked Kevin.

"It's sounds like crying," continued Téa. It was slightly louder now. It sounded like an infant was sobbing its eyes out.

"Yeah, I do hear it," admitted Yu-Gi. "It's a baby. Maybe this is some kind of virtual nursery."

"Or what if…that baby is all alone!" gasped Téa. "We got to get in there and find out!"

"No way," replied Kevin. "This is clearly a trap. I've got five dollars that says there's no baby in this entire virtual world."

"Then you won't be able to collect that bet until we go in and look," said Téa, putting a foot on the fence to try to climb it.

"That doesn't look safe, Téa," said Kevin. "And you're playing right into Noah's trap." Téa ignored him and scrambled over the top.

"Téa! Wait!" protested Yu-Gi, following.

"Come on Yu-Gi, this is a trap," said Kevin.

"You're starting to sound like Joe, accusing everyone of spying, but this time everything's a trap," replied Yu-Gi, as he reached the top.

"Fine, fine," shrugged Kevin, following him up.

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"Is it me or did it just get foggy?" asked Duke. That group had decided to wait by the truck for the others to return. A thick mist was beginning to lace the ground. It was getting thicker by the moment.

"Looks like fog to me," replied Joe.

"Well, the virtual fun never ends in this place," replied Duke, sarcastically.

"You're going to jinx us," said Lara.

"I'm just dying to see what surprise Noah has in store for us next," groaned Joe.

"Now we are jinxed," said Drake.

"Try to be positive guys," said Serenity. "We're going to get out of here, all of us, and we're going to find Tristan's body."

"Thank you Serenity!" chimed Tristan hugging her again and chattering monkey noises. Joe and Duke were glaring deadly daggers at him.

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Kaiba landed hard when the light finally faded. Noah had transported them to the virtual living room, the same place he and Mokuba had watched Kaiba's duel against Lector.

"Thanks for dropping in Seto," chuckled Noah.

"Noah!" growled Kaiba, who was furious. Where's my little brother?! I demand that you bring…" He trailed off when Mokuba sheepishly peaked his head out from behind Noah. "Mokuba!"

"Seto, you're little brother is safe and sound with me," said Noah, calmly.

"You're the one that took him in the first place!" shouted Kaiba. Now he wasn't only mad, he was in disbelief at Noah's attitude. "So I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull. Just hand him over!"

"Don't you remember? It was your ex-employee Nesbit disguised as Tristan who took Mokuba," said Noah, as is he was talking to a young child. "Maybe you should have been a better boss Seto. It was me who saved Mokuba from the Big 5. You should be thanking me."

Kaiba gave Noah one of his wickedest glares and grabbed Mokuba's arm. "Come on Mokuba, let's go." He started to pull Mokuba away from Noah.

Mokuba pulled his arm away roughly and took a step away from his older brother. "NO!" he yelled.

"What's wrong with you? We're getting out of here, right now," stated Kaiba, firmly.

"Nothing's wrong with me, I'm staying right here! You just stood there and watched as he took me away Seto!" yelled Mokuba, glaring hatefully at Seto.

"I what?!" gasped Kaiba. He figured things out pretty quickly. He turned to the green-haired kid. "Noah, what did you say to my brother?! What kind of lies did you poison him with?!"

"Not one Seto," lied Noah, coolly. "Mokuba realized how little you cared about him all by himself. So maybe you should take his advice and just go."

"Snap out of it Mokuba!" said Kaiba, rage lacing his tone.

"It will take more than shouting to erase all those painful memories from your brother's mind," said Noah. "Think of all those times you abandoned him just so you could achieve your own selfish goals."

"That's a lie! I never treated Mokuba like that!"

"You don't have to raise your voice!" said Noah, raising his own voice.

"Mokuba! Don't listen to Noah's lies! He's trying to drive us apart," Kaiba said, getting down on one knee to look his little brother in the eye. Mokuba cringed away.

"It's okay," said Noha, putting an arm around Mokuba and turning him away from Seto. "I won't let him hurt you any more." He started to walk away, Mokuba following. They were slowly vanishing into the shadows.

"Get back here!" demanded Kaiba. "This is not one of your sick games Noah! You will not destroy the only family I have!"

"You have no family!" laughed Noah, looking back. "You're all alone now! Seems to me that Mokuba would rather be my brother. And he's not the only thing I'll take from you. As far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve anything that you have. So, I'll make sure your possessions go to someone who does."

"And who deserves to have what's mine?!" growled Kaiba, his left eye twitching in fury

"Me of course!" replied Noah, he had stopped walking away, though.

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"I still hear it, but there's not a baby in sight!" said Yu-Gi as the three roamed the seemingly endless rooms of the mansion. They were all sparely furnished, and most of what was there was covered with sheets to prevent dust build up.

"It's getting louder!" commented Téa, who was a bit farther down the hall.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing here," said Kevin.

"Let's go that way!" said Yu-Gi, pointing down a new hall.

"It has to be coming from one of these rooms," said Téa.

"No babies in here," sighed Yu-Gi, opening a door.

"Nothing, nothing, and nothing," reported Kevin. "Not that there's anything to find."

"Another empty room. This place seems to be deserted. Weird…" Téa started to admit.

"I've found something!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

"No way!" gasped Kevin as he and Téa hurried to the room he was in.

Yu-Gi was holding up a small object that had been left on one of the tables. What was unusual about it was the fact that it was dust-free, unlike everything else in the manor.

"A rattle!" gasped Téa. "I'd be crying too if I was stuck in a creepy old house with no rattle." The crying still continued.

"You know what, I don't think there's really a baby in this place at all Tea. I think Kevin's right," said Yu-Gi.

"Then who's crying?" asked Téa. "Unless it's a digital sound file that part of Noah's freaky universe!"

"Exactly," agreed Yu-Gi.

Kevin looked like he wanted to say something, but he decided not to. His personality wouldn't let him say anything slightly hurtful to a female.

"Huh?" said Yu-Gi, walking over to a small table in the corner of the room, right below a window. He picked it up. "Check it out guys. It looks like a picture of someone. This might tell us where we are."

"So who's in the picture?" asked Téa.

Yu-Gi rubbed off the years of dust. "This is weird!"

"What?" asked Téa as Yu-Gi handed it to her.

"Oh my!" gasped Kevin, looking over her shoulder.

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_"Being trapped in the body of a robot monkey is not as fun as it looks,"_ thought Tristan with a depressed sigh. He climbed up the guardrail and looked down at the ocean. What he saw caused him to scream like a monkey. "Guys! What's got eight eyes and lives under water!"

"I don't know," shrugged Serenity.

"We're not exactly in the moods for laughs chimp-boy," retorted Joe.

"There's something down there I think you guys might want to look at," said monkey Tristan, on the verge of a panic. Four sets of glowing eyes were looking back at him from beneath the waves.

"Kevin tried that already, there's nothing there," said Lara.

"It's just an illusion," added Drake. "Like everything else in this place."

"And I was thinking you couldn't get any more annoying than you already were, banana breath," said Duke, irked. He walked over and grabbed Tristan by the head.

"HANDS OFF THE HAIR!!!" yelled Tristan, flailing his short arms to try and get away.

"That settles it for me, that's definitely Tristan," said Drake.

"You have got to chill out, gorilla-boy!" exclaimed Joe.

"Did you say chill?! Why don you take a look down there first?!" yelled Tristan, feverishly pointing down.

"Awww, the little monkey's scared," teased Duke. "I'll give you something to be scared about! It's my double monkey nuggie attack!" He grabbed Tristan again and began to rub his head hard from either side.

"NOT THE HAIR!" yelled Tristan.

WOOSH! A geyser shot up out of the ocean, right where Tristan had been pointing.

"Woah!" gasped the group.

"What is that thing?!" cried Joe.

The water fell away, but what was standing in the middle of it didn't. Hovering in the middle of the air was four Duel Monsters; Deepsea Warrior, Nightmare Penguin, Judgeman, and Jinzo.

"No way! It's four of the Big 5!" gasped Joe.

"We beat you freaks of nature fair and square!" yelled Lara, venomously.

"We have some unfinished business to take care of!" snapped Gamesly, the Deepsea Warrior.

"What do you creeps want from us?!" demanded Duke.

"The same thing we've always wanted! Your bodies!" answered Gamesly.

"Drop dead," spat Drake.

"Joe…" muttered Serenity, sounding worried.

"Don't worry sis, this bunch of wackos couldn't duel their way out of a paper bag with scissors," replied Joe.

"What makes you think we want to duel you?" asked Lector, the Jinzo.

"Yes, we've had enough games! Now its time for us to take action!" agreed Gamesly.

"What was that?" asked Joe.

"It means we're in a lot of trouble!" exclaimed Drake, readying his duel disk.

The Big 5 members present charged forward.

Why duel you when we can take your bodies by force?" asked Gamesly, evilly.

"Force this!" spat Lara, following Drake's example and activating her duel disk.

"Now we have a problem!" gasped Joe, starting his duel disk. Those three grabbed the first five monsters off of the top of their decks and slid them into place. Fifteen monsters charged forward to meet the businessmen's' attack. "This ought to keep these guys busy!"

"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Tristan as everyone raced for the truck.

The fight raged on and they had to dodge stray attacks as they climbed in. Serenity had taken Kevin's seat in the co-pilot. Joe had narrowly beat Drake to the driver's seat. Duke and Lara were already in the back. The four members of the Big 5 were mowing through their monsters.

"Time to blow this taco stand!" said Joe, jamming the key into the ignition.

"How can you think of food at a time like this?!" yelled Lara.

The engine stalled.

"Hey! My dragon is stronger than Deepsea Warrior!" protested Drake. "Those cheaters!"

"Sit down!" exclaimed Lara, pulling him down into the back of the truck.

Joe tried to start it again, but the engine still stalled.

"What are you waiting for man?!" yelled Duke

"The thing won't start! Come on you piece of junk!" growled Joe.

The Big 5 only had a handful of monsters remaining against them. As they watched, Jinzo blasted Lara's Fire Sorcerer, and Nightmare Penguin took out Joe's Swordsman of Landstar.

"Joe…" whimpered Serenity.

"I'm trying! Start you rust bucket! Come on!" hollered Joe as he pounded on the dashboard. The engine sprang to life.

"It started!" gasped the Wheelers.

"We're not going to let them win," said Drake, ready to summon more monsters. The truck shot forward. Duke, Lara, and Drake slammed into the back end of the truck, adding to the bruises they had from Joe's last time behind the wheel.

"Warn me when you're going to do that! I'm not wearing a seat belt!" groaned Duke.

"Live up to your name, Wheeler and try not to get us killed!" snapped Lara.

"That's it, I'm driving next time," said Drake, wincing as he tried to sit up straighter.

The Big 5 had eliminate the remaining monsters and gave chase. They tried to attack the truck, causing Joe to swerve violently. Things didn't look good.

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The darkness by Kaiba and Noah shifted into another flashback. But this one was unfamiliar to Kaiba. Gozaburo was sitting behind his desk with Noah standing in front of him.

"Take a close look at the virtual projection in front of you," said Noah.

"It's you and my step-father," said Kaiba.

"Yes, he and I have a history as well," admitted Noah.

At that moment, the door in the flashback opened. Strangely, Yu-Gi, Téa, and Kevin entered the room.

"It's Noah and Kaiba! What's going on?" asked Téa, who sounded surprised. She looked back and forth between Noah and himself in the flashback, looking confused.

"Oh, great, just who we wanted to find…" muttered Kevin, who sounded anything but happy about running into both Noah and Seto.

It didn't seem to bother Yu-Gi at all. He walked right up to Kaiba and handed him the picture he had found. "Does this thing mean anything to you Kaiba?"

Kaiba looked at it once and instantly answered, "It's a trick. This is a picture of my step-father." A slightly younger version of Gozaburo was sitting in a chair, with Noah standing by his left hand

"Your step-dad? With Noah?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Pay attention to the show Seto. I think it will clear things up for you," said Noah, who sounded slightly irked at being ignored.

Gozaburo pulled a snapshot out of his desk and slid it across the table. Noah picked it up and looked at it. The others could see that it was a picture of twelve-year-old Kaiba.

"Who's this kid?" asked flashback Noah.

"My latest acquisition," answered Gozaburo. "His name is Seto and he and his brother will be coming to live with us. He's extremely intelligent, you could learn a lot from him. That's my plan. Seto will be here to constantly challenge you. Having him around the house will motivate you to improve your studies. After all, if I'm going to hand Kaiba Corp. over to you, you have to prove to me that you have the intellect to run a company of this magnitude."

"All right, you won't be disappointed, father," answered flashback Noah.

There were some gasps from the people around the room.

"What did he say?!" cried Kaiba.

"That's his dad!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

Noah, the real one, stepped forward, "Not quite what you were expecting, is it Seto? You and I being step-brothers. But it's all true. I am Gozaburo's one true son. I was always supposed to inherit his empire, you were nothing more than another one of his servants to motivate me. That's the only reason my father let rift raft like you into the house. And that's the story of how and orphan with no class became president of Kaiba Corp.."

"Not true!" snapped Kaiba, who looked ready to slug him. Kevin, having seen that look before, backed up.

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Shayla was still listening to everything that was going on from the place Noah had imprisoned her. She was upset about how he had used Mokuba and already has some things to tell him off for when he came back. She was also worried about half of her friends as she heard the Big 5 pursue them. But now, she was baffled by Noah's latest revelation.

"Noah K-Kaiba?" she gasped, trying the name. She knew how important names were, never having a full one herself. "That…that's impossible. Isn't it? It doesn't make any logical sense, but I can't sense even a hint of a lie from Noah. But…Noah sounds the same now as he did when he was talking to that jerk Gozaburo…that had to be years ago. He should be as old if not older than me! But, he's not lying, the Millennial Scales would know if he was…What is going on here? If Noah really is Gozaburo's son, then he must be using the virtual technology to make himself look different, like the Big 5 did…it's the only thing I can think of…I don't like this one bit. Well, I do know this much, I'm glad that I'm never going to run into the Gozaburo Kaiba. The more I hear about him, the worse he sounds."

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"It's true. Now the time has finally came for me to reclaim my rightful position as president of my father's empire. Sorry, I guess this means that you're out of a job, Seto," smirked Noah.

"Noah! You're story makes no sense! If you were really Gozaburo's son, how is it that I never saw you before! Answer that Noah!" challenged Kaiba

"Well, that's part two of my story," started Noah.

"Alert alert alert alert alert," a computer voice said, over and over. The screen that Noah and Mokuba had used suddenly sparked to life, showing the chase scene.

Yu-Gi gasped.

"Oh no!" cried Téa.

"Now what are those freaks trying to pull!?" growled Kevin.

"Sorry, but I have to cut this short. Don't move. I'll be back, right after I deal with them," said Noah.

"You're staying here understand?!" yelled Kaiba. But as he was talking, Noah vanished, taking Mokuba with him.

The rest of the gang's in trouble!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"Come on! We have to help!" exclaimed Téa.

"Right, like we want to wait for Noah to get back so he can toy with us," agreed Kevin as they raced out the door.

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"They're gaining on us!" exclaimed Joe, checking the rearview mirror. They had left the bridge in the dust. Now they were speeding though miles of desert. It was the virtual world, no one said it had to make sense.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" cried Lara.

"Joe!" growled Duke as a blast nearly threw him.

"Be careful!" warned Serenity.

"I want to live to get my body back!" protested monkey Tristan.

"Try to hold still so I can summon more monsters!" shouted Drake. He tried to stand but was thrown down again by Joe's driving.

"Sit down before you break your neck!" snapped Lara, who was worried about her beau.

Jinzo blasted right beside their truck, nearly causing the thing to tip. A wave of water nearly missed Duke's head. A flying crystal of ice shattered behind one of the wheels.

"Straight ahead!" warned Duke. Judgeman had managed to fly ahead of them and was standing in the middle of the road.

"These guys won't quit!" growled Joe, cranking the wheel to the right and heading off road.

"Ouch! That's my tailbone!" protested Lara.

"You are never driving again!" snapped Duke, whose knuckles were white from gripping the side of the vehicle.

"Look out!" gasped Serenity as Jinzo flew even closer.

"I got you now!" laughed Lector. He blasted the sandy wasteland in front of them.

Joe tried to avoid the hole, but it was too big. They skittered around the edge until the vehicle tipped on its side and went sliding across the desert floor. It finally came to a halt, but the teens were too shaken to move immediately.

"Are you still in one piece back there?" asked Joe. He had climbed out of the window, since the driver's side was now facing the sky.

"Ugh…I think so…" groaned Duke, who was several yards behind the vehicle, having been thrown off of it.

"Lara! Lara!" called Drake, who was on the underside side of the vehicle. He was shaking her, because the crash had dazed her.

"I'm fine…relatively speaking…." she said, slowly.

"Serenity?" asked Joe, looking into the truck.

"I'm okay…" she answered, trying to undo her seatbelt. Joe stuck a hand down and began to pull her up.

"What about me?" asked Tristan. Having a metallic body proved useful in this situation.

"For now you maybe okay, but all of your bodies will belong to us. Now, which of you two should I chose to take control of?" asked Lector as Jinzo as he eyed up the Wheeler siblings.

"Hold it. I want to have first choice Lector!" protested Crum as the Nightmare Penguin.

"We're going in size order Crum, so you go last," snapped Lector.

Crum was already trying to climb up the side of the truck "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I'm choosing right now!"

"Keep your wings to yourself until I say so!" ordered Lector, pulling Crum away from the truck.

"Fools," muttered Johnson as he walked over with Gamesly. He had picked up Duke by the belt and was swing him like a school kid would a lunch pail. He threw Duke down right below Joe and Serenity.

"Get over there!" snapped Gamesly at Drake and Lara.

"You don't order me around," glared Drake, ready to summon a monster.

"Try anything and I'll strike before you can move," threatened Gamesly as the Deepsea Warrior.

"You're nothing but an old fool," countered Drake.

"We don't have time for all this bickering," said Lector. "Choose a body and stick with it.

"Let me go first!" shouted Crum.

"Calm yourself, we have to act quickly if we want to escape into the real world," said Gamesly.

A bright light flashed in the sky up and to the right of them.

"What's that?!" gasped Johnson.

"Attention fools. This game is over," said Noah from somewhere above them.

"Master Noah! This isn't what it looks like," protested Gamesly.

"Really?" asked Noah, appearing in front of them, floating. "So you're not breaking my rules? What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"Please, I can explain Noah!" begged Gamesly.

"I gave you all a chance to win your freedom and you all failed!" Noah vanished. The void where he had been became a powerful dust storm, sucking in everything it could. "Now you pay the price!" There was much screaming from everyone there. "Gentlemen, you're all dismissed. No one breaks my rules and gets away with it." The four member of the Big 5 were pulled off of the feet and into the cyclone. Joe, Serenity, and Tristan were huddled in the cabin. Duke had resumed his death grip on the vehicle, while Lara and Drake seemed to prefer to cling to each other. Then, as suddenly as it started, the winds died.

"Man…" groaned Duke, sliding to the ground.

"Hey? You okay Duke?" called Joe, looking back out of the cabin.

"Yeah, I've never been better…" replied Duke, who sounded like he was going to puke.

"What about you guys?" asked Drake.

"Serenity and I are fine," answered Joe.

"Guys!" called Téa, running over.

"We've found you! Is everyone alright?!" called Yu-Gi.

"We're fine," answered Yu-Gi.

Tristan waved and made happy monkey noises.

"Awesome! That's the best news I've heard all day!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, hugging Joe.

"Well, it's been a crappy day," commented Drake.

"Those wimps never stood a chance," gloated Joe.

"We never would have stood a chance if you continued driving!" snapped Lara.

"Hey, I got us away, didn't I?" asked Joe. The couple merely rolled their eyes/

"I guess the action never stops," said Téa, helping Serenity down from the truck.

"You can say that again," agreed Serenity.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked, walking right up to Serenity. "The Big 5 have no right to mess with someone as lovely and sweet as you."

Tristan jumped on his head and began pulling at his hair, jealous.

"Hey! I'm on your side!" protested Kevin. "Leave the hair alone!" He pulled Tristan off by the nape of his neck.

"Oh great, there's two hair fiends here," groaned Duke.

"Serenity is mine!" Tristan hissed at Kevin. "So stay away lover-boy!"

"Geesh, okay, okay," said Kevin.

_"This just doesn't add up,"_ thought Kaiba as he stared at the picture Yu-Gi had given him.

"Kaiba? Could Noah's story about you being his step-brother actually be true?" asked Yu-Gi, noticing how quiet Kaiba was being.

"Noah's story is nothing but one big lie to mess with my head Yu-Gi," replied Kaiba. "Noah's conversation that he would have had with Gozaburo would have happened over 6 years ago, which is when this was taken." He handed Yu-Gi the picture. "According to the imprinted date. But look closely."

"Noah looks the same as he does now!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"He hasn't aged?!" exclaimed Téa.

"Who hasn't aged?" asked Drake.

"Noah," answered Kevin. "He's now claiming to be Kaiba's step-brother."

"What?" asked Serenity.

"Noah said he's Gozaburo's son," answered Téa.

"That's enough of that," said Kaiba, walking away.

"Touchy," commented Kevin.

"Just let him go, okay?" asked Drake.

"Come on guys, you know we need to stick together if we are ever going to get out of here," said Yu-Gi.

Lara sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a good point."

"We should help Kaiba find Mokuba," said Serenity. "Because Mokuba is probably in the same place that Tristan's body is."

"You heard the girl!" cheered Tristan.

"Let's just not stay here," said Duke.

"Come on guys," said Yu-Gi, who started walking after Kaiba.

"I know I'm going to regret this," groaned Joe.

AN/ Sorry to disappoint some of you. I did intend to combine this with the next duel, but there's too much duel and too much dialogue. But on the other hand it meant that this got updated quicker. Sorry. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! J


	10. The Big 5 v The Good 5

"You five are pathetic!" yelled Noah. He had drawn all five of them, Nesbit included, into an area that was void of everything but themselves and shadows.

"Please Noah! Try to understand our position!" begged Johnson. He was on his knees, they all were, which would have seemed highly unusual in reality, but this wasn't.

"I've seen enough!" spat Noah. "You had your chance! You've had two chances!"

"But Noah! We won't let you down this time! We have a fool-proof plan!" exclaimed Lector.

"Oh?" asked Noah.

"You know how much we want to make those brats suffer for humiliating us before," said Gamesly. "This time we will not lose!"

"Speak for yourself," said Nesbit. "I want to leave, I already have the body I need."

Noah glared at them a moment, then smirked. Shayla had been right in assuming he would never let the Big 5 escape. "You're right, you do have one body. I'll give you one more chance to get the bodies you need, but remember, three strikes and you're out gentlemen."

"Thank you Noah!" they groveled.

"The five of you will share Tristan's body and use it to take down Yu-Gi Motou in a duel," said Noah.

"What?!" gasped Nesbit.

"You heard him," said Gamesly, giving Nesbit a stern look.

"Win and I'll give you all the bodies you need, lose…" he left the threat hanging in the air.

"We won't let you down!" promised Lector.

"Good, now get to work," said Noah. They vanished with a wave of his hand. "Well, Mokuba, looks like the rest of Kaiba's friends are about to lose their bodies." He looked at the boy behind him. Mokuba's eyes flashed red briefly, but that was the only response.

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"We've been walking in this desert for hours," complained Joe.

"It could be worse," said Drake. "It could be a swamp." Lara nodded.

"Well, there's no use stopping," said Duke. "I haven't seen any sign of civilization in the past two hours."

"Yeah! And we need to find my body!" exclaimed monkey Tristan.

"The less I hear from you, robo-wonder, the better," snapped Joe.

"You're not still thinking he's the spy, are you?" asked Kevin.

"Of course!" exclaimed Joe. "I don't trust it."

"Calm down guys, fighting isn't going to help," said Yu-Gi.

"He's right," agreed Serenity.

The group had stopped walking so they could talk. That is, everyone stopped but one. Kaiba had kept on walking, focused solely on one thing, finding his brother.

"Kaiba! Wait up!" called Yu-Gi.

"Save it Yu-Gi, this is family business, so just leave me alone," shot Kaiba without even looking back.

"You heard him, leave him alone," said Joe, instantly ready to get rid of the CEO at any chance he got.

Téa didn't listen. She hurried forward and jumped in front of Kaiba, blocking his path.

"Get out of my way, Gardener," growled Kaiba in a low voice.

"Save your attitude!" she countered. "We know you're worried about Mokuba, but you're wrong if you think you're the only one worried about him! Mokuba is our friend too and we want to help! That's what friends do for each other! So forget that attitude!"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way." growled Kaiba, furious. "This is family business! So just stay out of it!"

"In case you haven't noticed, it's your 'family business' that got all of us into this mess in the first place," said Drake. "We're involved, whether you want us to be or not."

"Pegasus, don't push me or…" threatened Kaiba, but he never got to finish it.

"Guys! Look!" exclaimed Serenity. "There's Tristan's body!"

"Huh?"

They all looked where she was pointing. Up on a cliff, 'Tristan' was glaring down at them.

"That's Nesbit, remember," said Duke.

"It's still Tristan's body," reminded Yu-Gi.

"Yeah! And I want it back!" exclaimed Tristan, following it up with a series of monkey noises.

"Get down here, you corporate scum and give Tristan his body back!" yelled Joe.

Unnoticed by the group, who had been distracted, Kaiba walked away.

"As you wish," laughed 'Tristan.' He then stepped off of the cliff.

There was a whole lot of gasping, but he floated safely down to their level.

"Give Tristan's body back, Nesbit!" ordered Duke.

Nesbit laughed, but it wasn't only his voice laughing.

"What's going on?!" gasped Lara.

"I'm not alone in here," laughed Nesbit.

"What?"

"All five of us are sharing Tristan's body for one purpose," said Lector. He pointed at Yu-Gi. "To bring you down in a duel!"

"Get a life!" snapped Lara. "We kicked your butts twice already, don't you know you don't stand a chance?"

"Just let us out of here," added Kevin.

"Hey! I don't want to be a toy monkey forever!" protested Tristan.

"Which is why we have a deal we know you won't be able to refuse," said Gamesly from Tristan's body. "If Yu-Gi can duel us and win, we'll give you Tristan's body back."

"What's the catch?" asked Yami, who had taken over.

Gamesly laughed, "You don't miss a beat, do you Mr. Motou? If we win, we get all of your bodies!"

"What?!"

"What will it be, Mr. Motou?" asked Gamesly.

"This might be our only chance to get his body back…" said Téa, hesitantly.

"But, the stakes are so high," said Lara.

"We have to help Tristan," said Serenity, vehemently.

"I think Yu-Gi is the only one who can make that decision," said Drake.

"Yu-Gi, you're the best at Duel Monsters, I don't think you'll lose," said Duke.

"Make that two of us," agreed Kevin.

"Are you willing to let me risk your bodies to save Tristan?" asked Yami.

"There's no risk, you won't lose Yug," said Joe.

"I believe in you," said Téa. "We're friends, and our friendship has gotten us through tougher times." Yami nodded.

"One moment," cautioned Drake. "I want to make sure they're not trying to pull anything." He turned back to the Big 5. "How will this duel work?"

"A very wise question, Mr. Pegasus," said Lector now. "We will take turns dueling, using Tristan's body, so Mr. Motou will only face one of us at a time, though he will face all of us within this duel. The Deck Master rules will apply as usual."

"Hey! Five on one doesn't sound fair to me!" said Joe and Kevin at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise.

"A agree," said Drake, his eyes narrowing.

"If you want to duel Yug, you can face me too!" said Joe.

"I want a piece of you losers," said Kevin. "It appears I haven't creamed you enough if you still think you can duel."

"Well…erm…" stammered Lector. They hadn't expected this.

"That still doesn't make it even," said Drake. "Three on five, and after all the crap you freaks tried to pull with Industrial Illusions, I'm dueling too."

"If they want all our bodies, then I'm not giving up mine without a fight," said Duke, stepping forward. "And that makes it even, five on five."

"Ha! Now I know we won't lose!" cheered Lara.

"Hear that Tristan, you're going to get your body back," said Serenity.

"Yes!" exclaimed Tristan.

'Tristan' seemed to have spaced out, as all the Big 5 argued amongst themselves within him.

"This wasn't part of the plan!" exclaimed Johnson.

"We can't let all of them duel!" protested Crum. "It significantly drops our odds of victory."

"Yu-Gi is the one we want," said Nesbit. "If we beat him, we all get out of here."

"Mr. Wheeler is a poor duelist to begin with, it wouldn't matter if he dueled or not," said Lector.

"Yes, he would hold Yu-Gi back," agreed Johnson. "Duke Deblin as well. All he can do is roll dice."

"Mr. Pegasus is a threat," said Gamesly.

"He can't be any better than Mr. Motou, and we know we can take him down," Lector pointed-out.

"And the last one?" asked Johnson.

"That mouse has beaten all of us before, in case you've forgotten," said Gamesly.

"This time, the outcome will be different," said Nesbit.

"Bottom line, what do we do with all of the challenges?" asked Lector.

"Why don't we have them play the same way we are?" asked Gamesly. "Since they are determined to make it fair, then let them eat those words!"

"Have them trade off? I like it," said Johnson.

Crum was calculating away, "Taking in consideration the differences of their decks, their dueling skills, and their strategies…The odds have doubled in our favor!"

"They'll only be able to do pieces of their strategy, and they'll be at the mercy of the cards their 'friends' play," added Nesbit.

"It's decided then," said Gamesly. "We will have them duel tag team."

"Court is adjourned," said Johnson.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Lara on the outside.

"Maybe the heat snapped their brains?" shrugged Joe. "Then again, there wasn't much there to snap in the first place."

"It's been decided," said Gamesly, snapping Tristan's body out of a trace. "You five will duel us tag team style."

"Tag team style?" asked Kevin.

"Correct," said Gamesly. "One of you will start, then you will trade off to another, so only one of you will duel at a time. You are forbidden to discuss your strategies. If you do you will automatically lose."

"You pulled that rule before," commented Duke.

"This changes things," said Yami. "Are you four still sure you want to duel?"

"Of course!"

"Yes!"

"Absolutely!"

"I'm not backing down."

"Thank you," said Yami.

"Hey, we're here for you bro, that's what friends are for," said Joe. "We're gonna stick together no matter what. And as soon as we pound these creeps into the ground and get Tristan's body back, we're going to leave this freaky place together."

"Right," agreed Drake. "I've seen how the power of your friendship pulled you through Duelist Kingdom, and I'm glad to be part of it. You can sure bet I'm not going to let any of you down."

"We've made it this far," said Duke. "One duel shouldn't be too hard. I know if we stick together we'll win this. When you beat me at my own Dungeon, Dice Monsters game, you showed me how strong friendship can really be."

"I know I'm new here, but you have to be the great group of people I've met," said Kevin. "Well, with one exception…Anyways, you guys have something that I want to be part of, and I think this duel will do that for me."

"And we'll be here cheering you on," added Téa.

"You're the best duelists I know," said Serenity. "So crush them!"

"Don't worry, this one is already in the bag," said Lara. "They're biggest mistake was letting you work together." She walked over and gave Drake a quick peck on the cheek. "For luck." She winked, and Drake tried to swallow his blushing. He was getting better at that.

"Thank you guys," said Yami. "I'll never forget how strong our friendship will be. This means a lot to me." He turned to Gamesly. "We accept your challenge."

"It's settled then," said Gamesly. "Decide which one of you will go first. I will be the first representative of the Big 5."

The other five looked amongst themselves, not sure who should be the first to go.

Finally, Kevin spoke, "I've had the most experience against these guys, I'll go first."

"Sure," shrugged Joe.

"Don't worry, if there's any trouble, one of us will bail you out," said Drake.

"I don't think the over sized fish-stick will be too much trouble," smirked Kevin, stepping forward. "You'll duel me first, Gamesly. I just hope there'll be enough left for everyone else to have a chance."

"Don't get cocky yet, mouse," said Gamesly.

"What did you call me?!" growled Kevin.

"Calm down Kevin, he's just trying to keep you off balance," said Téa. "If you guys need us, Serenity, Lara, Tristan, and I will be up there." She pointed to a small hill behind them. It would give them an eagle-view of the duel.

"Wish me luck, ladies," winked Kevin. Their wish looked more like eye-rolling.

"To start this duel, you need to select your Deck Master," said Gamesly in Tristan's body.

"That's easy, Buster Blader!" exclaimed Kevin. His Deck Master stepped out of his deck and stood solidly behind the smaller duelist.

"You already know my Deck Master, too," said Gamesly. "Deepsea Warrior." His Deck Master appeared behind him.

"Let's duel!" said Kevin.

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Noah had returned to his surveillance room, bring Mokuba with him. Shayla was still caged above him. She frowned from listening to the conversation as the duel started.

"The Big 5 are lying. They're not planning one giving Tristan his body back when they lose," Shayla said.

"Prove it," challenged Noah, who had stopped typing and was just watching.

"The very fact that you are telling me there is something to prove implies there is something for me to prove in the first place," replied Shayla. "You know I will always know when someone is lying. I think you'd be interested in knowing that they're planning on breaking their deal."

Noah shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"I forgot, you lie worse than the rest of them," Shayla sighed. Lying was her number one pet peeve, followed closely by arrogance. This kid had so much of both it was making her nauseous.

"I'm not lying!" protested Noah. "I really am Gozaburo's only son."

"That's true enough, but you're not telling the whole story," said Shayla.

Noah seemed surprised, "You actually believe me?"

"The Millennial Scales always know what's true and not," answered Shayla. "Regardless of if I like it or not." She paused. "How old are you Noah?"

Noah didn't reply immediately. "That's a complicated question."

"I'm not going anywhere," Shayla said, dryly. She waited, but Noah did not continue. "Are you going to answer my question?"

Noah dodged it. "You know, as much as your friends talk about friendship, they don't seem to care about you at all." He glanced up at the blind girl. "They haven't once asked where you are or called you by name. I'd say that doesn't qualify for a very strong friendship.

Shayla bit her lip. She couldn't say anything to that, because she had been wondering the same thing herself. Shayla thought she was close enough with them that they would at least worry about her, though she knew she wasn't the best of friends with them. Mai was her best friend, and Mai was comatose. She didn't want to admit it, but she was under the impression that they had completely forgotten about her.

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"I'll start this duel," said Gamesly. "I activate the magic card A Legendary Ocean. This turns the field into a water field, and reduces the level of all water type monsters by one."

"Big deal," shrugged Kevin as a large puddle formed over the desert floor.

"It's a bigger deal than you realize," said Gamesly. "It means that I can summon a five star monster like Legendary Fisherman without tributing any monsters!"

"That's Mako's favorite monster!" exclaimed Joe.

The Legendary Fisherman had wild navy hair. It carried a spear and wore a green kilt. Wild body pain and arm bangles decorated its body. It rode on the back of an orca whale, which was hidden beneath the water. Its stats were 1850 and 1600.

"Okay, now I have two fish to fry," said Kevin as he drew a card. "I play Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!" In a flash of light his monster materialized directly in front of him. It's stats were the opposite of the Skilled White Magician, at 1900 and 1700.

_/We never asked him if there was a connection between his magicians and our Dark Magician,/_ Yu-Gi commented to Yami.

_/That answer might be revealed to us in this duel,/_ said Yami.

"My monster is more than strong enough to destroy yours," said Kevin. "But before I turn you into lunch, I set this card face down." A card hologram appeared behind his Skilled Dark Magician. "Now, attack!"

His Skilled Dark Magician jumped into the air and formed a powerful ball of dark energy in its hands. It aimed this at the Legendary Fisherman and blew it to digital atoms.

"All right!" cheered Téa.

"We've already taken the lead!" smirked Joe as the Big 5 lost 50 life points, bring them down to 3950.

"This will be the only time you're ahead, so enjoy it while you can," said Gamesly. "A Legendary Ocean is still in play, so I can summon my Rainbow Snake and Ganna without a sacrifice." His rainbow colored serpent appeared in place of his destroyed Legendary Fisherman. It had 2200 attack points, making it stronger than Kevin's only monster.

"That could be trouble…" said Duke.

"A Legendary Ocean is a very profitable investment for me, and you're about to watch as it pays off," gloated Gamesly. "Rainbow Snake and Ganna, attack and destroy his Skilled Dark Magician!" The snake shot forward, ready to crush Kevin's monster in its coils.

Kevin chuckled, "You should have learned by now to watch your opposition's investments! Negate Attack!"

The snake was thrown back when it hit an invisible wall, though it was unharmed.

"Ha! Showed him!" laughed Joe.

"I summoned Koumori Dragon in defense mode.!" announced Kevin. His dragon looked like a typical dragon, being colored dark violet. It was rather small in size compared to the favorites of the dragon duelists who had been stuck in the virtual world. Its stats were only 1500 and 1200. "Then I set this card."

_"I could use it now, but I can wait until I have another monster on the field and its even more effective!"_ thought Kevin. _"Besides, it will give that fish-stick a big surprise."_

"Gamesly!" called Crum from within Tristan's body. "My Deck Master's special ability will be invaluable with the cards you have played. Let me take over."

"What's wrong with Gamesly?" asked Lara. "He's not moving."

"Sorry for the delay," said Crum, who was now in charge of Tristan's body. "But I am taking over this duel."

"His voice changed!" exclaimed Duke.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Crum, the accountant of the Big 5," said Crum.

"Who could forget?" asked Téa, shuddering from the memory of the cold he had made her experience.

"First order of business, to change this Deck Master," said Crum. Deepsea Warrior vanished and Nightmare Penguin stood in its place.

"You can change your Deck Master?" asked Joe. "Glad I know this now."

"I think they just made that rule up," said Drake, crossing his arms. "They wouldn't let Lara change her Deck Master when she accidentally dropped her Witch's Apprentice."

"It appears they do that a lot," agreed Yami. "This whole world seems to operate on the rules being changed at Noah's and their whim."

"Don't let they're tricks throw you off!" called Lara.

"You have more to worry about than just my Deck Master," said Crum. "Though it has increased the attack of Rainbow Snake and Ganna by 200 points." Kevin shrugged. "Then, thanks to A Legendary Ocean, I summon Catapult Turtle to the field!" His monster looked like a super-sized sea turtle. A large mechanical catapult had been strapped to its back. But on closer inspection, the catapult was actually part of its anatomy. It was empty, because it launched other Duel Monsters. Its stats would normally be 1200 and 2000, but Crum's Deck Master increased those to 1400 and 2200.

"Rainbow Snake and Ganna! Attack his Skilled Dark Magician!" ordered Crum. "Ha! You forgot to switch it to defense mode!"

"No, I deliberately left it in attack mode so I could do this," said Kevin with a smile. "I activate United We Stand, which increase my Skilled Dark Magician's attack points by 800 for everyone monster on my side of the field, and there's two!" His magician's attack strength rose all the way to 3500. By then it was too late for Crum to stop the attack. The Skilled Dark Magician blew the snake to dust.

"Hey Kevin, I still want a piece of them you know," called Joe, laughing. The Big 5 were already down to 2850 life points.

"And they were bragging about how hard they would be," laughed Lara.

"Yes! We're going to get my body back!" cheered Tristan, waving his monkey paws around.

"I play this face down and end my turn," said Crum, setting a card.

"Hey, Kevin," called Drake. "My deck is designed for dragons, why don't you let me take over?"

"Well…sure…" agreed Kevin, stepping aside.

"Crush that penguin flat!" called Lara.

"Hey, that's my body you're crushing!" protested Tristan.

"Are you going to change your Deck Master?" asked Joe.

"Erm…" hesitated Drake. _"I can't let them all know that I choose the same Deck Master as Kaiba!"_

"Nope, Buster Blader will do fine," said Drake. "I'll start by summoning Spirit Ryu to the field in defense mode." His first dragon appeared with an attack and defense of 1000. "Then I play this card face down." He slid Dragon's Bead into one of the slots on his duel disk.

"That card won't be much use, because I activate Cold Wave," said Crum. "That freezes all your magic and trap cards for one turn! That means your United We Stand and your face down card are useless."

Drake frowned slightly, but he noticed as the Skilled Dark Magician pulsed slightly when Crum used the magic card. "I move Skilled Dark Magician to defense mode and end my turn," said Drake.

"It's just a minor setback," said Téa.

"Don't worry about Drake," said Lara. "He's got a plan."

"Crum, you have failed to prove your case," said Johnson to Crum within Tristan's head.

"What?!" snapped Crum.

"Your move cost us too many life points! Step aside! I'm taking over now!" snapped Johnson, pushing him aside.

"Now what?" asked Duke when he noticed 'Tristan' has spaced again.

"I'm taking over this duel," said Johnson. "The name's Johnson, former chief attorney for Kaiba Corp.."

"His voice changed again," said Duke. "And I thought Tristan was weird to begin with."

"I heard that dice-boy!" snapped monkey Tristan on the hill above him.

"I can't believe that all the Big 5 are all in Tristan's body right now," said Téa, sounding slightly sickened by that idea.

"They're sharing me like I'm a corporate condo," said Tristan, waving his arms around madly.

"Someone should call an exorcist," said Lara. "Because of those five aren't evil spirits, I don't know what is."

"I'm going to prosecute all your monsters to the full extent of the law," said Johnson to Drake.

"Just try," glowered Drake.

"For my first exhibit, I would like to change my Deck Master into something more appropriate," said Johnson. In a flash Nightmare Penguin vanished and Judgeman took its place. "Much better. Now to summon Hysteric Fairy to the stand!" His school girl turned fairy appeared besides Crum's Catapult Turtle. Her stats were 1800 and 500.

"You know, you could surprise us and do something new," said Kevin, who sounded bored.

Johnson ignored him. "I then activate Premature Burial to revive Rainbow Snake and Ganna." Rainbow Snake and Ganna materialized on the other side of his Hysteric Fairy and Skilled Dark Magician pulsed, a bit brighter this time. "Now, I can make up for Crum's poor argument."

"And how are you going to do that?" asked Drake, who sounded like he didn't care what the answer was.

"I activate Hysteric Fairy's special ability. By tributing Catapult Turtle and Rainbow Snake and Ganna, I can increase my own life points by 1000," said Johnson. His two monsters disappeared from the field and Hysteric Fairy glowed for a moment, increasing his life points back to 3850.

"Those monsters would have been more valuable than a few life points," said Drake.

"The verdict is what matters in court," said Johnson. "And yours is almost here! Hysteric Fairy, attack his Koumori Dragon with Frantic Beam!"

Hysteric Fairy giggled and put her free hand into the air, collecting energy. A split second later the orb of energy shot forward and struck the Komouri Dragon. With a bellow is disintegrated. Since it was in defense mode, the Good 5 lost no life points.

"You should have attacked my Spirit Ryu," said Drake. "That mistake is going to cost you. I summon my Warrior Dai Grepher to the field!" This monster wasn't a dragon, but a human warrior. Its layers of muscle could be seen under the simple armor it wore. Its stats were 1700 and 1600.

"It's too weak to challenge my fairy," said Johnson.

"I'm not done yet," said Drake. "I use Polymerization to fuse my Spirit Ryu and my Warrior Dai Grepher into Ryu Senshi!" The two monsters blurred together. When the magic stopped, it looked like someone had turned to Spirit Ryu into armor for the Warrior Dai Grepher. Its stats were now 2000 and 1200.

"Way to go Drake!" cheered Lara.

"The Big 5 are in over their head," said Kevin. "Way over."

"Maybe I should step in now," said Joe. "If I wait I might not get a chance at all."

"Patience Joe," said Yami.

"Then, I move the Skilled Dark Magician to attack mode," said Drake. "Cold Wave wore off at the end of your last turn, so now United We Stand raises his attack by 1600 points."

"You're argument has one hole, Mr. Pegasus," said Johnson. "Your fusion monster cannot attack on the turn it was created, and your magician cannot attack because it just changed battle positions."

"You'll survive this turn, even with your lousy court talk," said Drake. "I'll set this card and end my turn." He slid Dragon's Rage into an empty slot.

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Kaiba had managed to put considerable distance between himself and the duel. The desert had suddenly ended and a city rose. At least, it looked like a small city, but it wasn't. Kaiba knew what it was instantly and couldn't help but gasp. It was a place he had imagined of enough but had never seen because it did not exist. It was a large amusement park decorated with Duel Monsters. It was one of his own design. Seto entered it, looking around amazed and confused.

_"This doesn't make any sense!"_ he thought._ "This is a virtual copy of the Duel Monsters theme park I designed! There's no way Noah could have known about this. The blueprints for Kaibaland are top secret. Construction is scheduled to begin for another four years. But it's all right here!"_

This was further proof of what Noah had managed to find while browsing through Kaiba's memories. Kaiba walked through the desert streets, heading right for the staff area.

"Every detail," said Kaiba as he walked to a door. There was a chessboard in front of it. "Even my backstage security system." He moved one of the pieces across the board.

"Checkmate, access to restricted area granted," said a computer voice. The door slid open.

_"Maybe I'll get some answers in here,"_ thought Kaiba. _"Mokuba has to be around here somewhere, and when I find him, Noah is going to pay!"_

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"Time for me to present my case," said Johnson. "First, I play one card face down. Then, I activate Magic Void to destroy your United We Stand."

"That's not good…" said Joe.

"Looks like you might get in on this duel after all," said Kevin.

"First, I play one card face down. Now, I activate Polymerization to fuse the monsters in my hand to create Dragoness the Wicked Knight!" announced Johnson. In a swirling vortex his fusion monster appeared in front of him. Its attack was 1200.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" asked Drake, skeptically.

As he spoke, Skilled Dark Magician pulsed brightly.

"What did you do?!" gasped Johnson.

"Me? I did nothing," said Drake. "All my magic cards have not been touched."

"What was that light?" demanded Johnson.

"Skilled Dark Magician is powering up to cream you!" exclaimed Kevin.

"What is going on?" asked Duke.

"You'll see," said Kevin.

"Since your monster is a fusion, it can't attack this turn," said Drake. "So I'll start mine by having my Ryu Senshi attack it!" His monster charged forward, ready to destroy Johnson's knight.

"I activate Leading Question, which allows me to increase a fusion monster's attack by 800!" announced Johnson as Dragoness the Wicked Knight shot up to 2000 attack points. It leapt forward to meet the incoming attack.

"But their attacks are identical!" exclaimed Yami.

"Both monsters will be destroyed, right?" asked Serenity, nervously.

"Looks that way," said Lara as both monsters disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

"My turn's not done yet," said Drake. "Skilled Dark Magician, attack the Hysteric Fairy!" The magician cast a spell the obliterated Johnson's remaining monster. The Big 5's life points dropped to 3750.

"You're useless Johnson!" snapped Nesbit to Johnson from within Tristan. "You have no monsters on the field!"

"It's merely a minor objection," objected Jonhson.

"You're done!" snapped Nesbit, shoving him aside. Then, to everyone, "It's about time I stepped in to rewire this duel. I'm Nesbit, the ex-head of technology at Kaiba Corp.."

"They switched again?!" gasped Duke.

"It seems like they're playing Survivor or Weakest Link to me, not Duel Monsters," commented Kevin.

"'You are the weakest link, good-bye, Johnson,'" chuckled Drake.

"'You've been voted off the island,'" added Joe with a chuckle.

"Now, to get a Deck Master worthy of this duel," said Nesbit. Robotic Knight appeared in place of Judgeman.

"All this changing is giving me a headache," groaned Tristan.

"I've known girls who've changed their shoes more times a day than that," said Téa.

"Now, to clear the field of all this junk," said Nesbit.

"You want junk, look in a mirror," shot Drake.

"I activate Heavy Storm, which blows away all the magic cards on the field," announced Nesbit.

"Oh no!" gasped Drake as his Dragon's Bead and Dragon's Rage were destroyed.

"You also destroyed you're A Legendary Ocean," Yami pointed out.

"It had to go," said Nesbit. "Water flaws the beauty of us machines."

"You really think you're a robot? You need to see a shrink," said Joe.

"You'll remember this," said Nesbit, focusing on Drake. "It's my Deck Master's special ability, Final Artillery!"

"I'm trying to forget," said Drake, dryly.

"I'm discarding three machine type monsters from my hand, that means you take 1500 damage!" declared Nesbit, sliding the cards into his graveyard. Robotic Knight's chest opened and a series of missiles flew out.

"Drake!" cried Lara as the missiles struck her boyfriend directly.

Drake gasped in pain, but managed to stay standing. His life points dropped to 3250.

"What happened?! You should have lost more life points!" exclaimed Nesbit.

"You forgot about my Deck Master," said Drake. "Buster Blader cuts direct attacks in half." He looked over his shoulder. "Thanks Kevin."

"Don't mention it," replied Kevin.

"I'm not through with you yet," said Nesbit. "I summon Cyber Falcon to the field." With a gust of wind, the Cyber Falcon appeared. It looked like a bird that had silver feathers. Its stats were 1400 and 1200.

"You're going to have to do better than that," called Joe. "I think you're hard drive has been outdated! You'll never beat the Skilled Dark Magician with that!"

"You are correct," said Nesbit, pulled a card from his hand.

"You mean your hard drive really is outdate?" asked Kevin, causing everyone to laugh.

"No," said Nesbit, annoyed. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards, then I activate 7 Completed!"

"What does that do?" asked Serenity.

"It allows him to increase either the attack or defense of his Cyber Falcon by 700," answered Lara.

"I choose to increase the attack points of my monster," announced Nesbit.

"Now it's stronger than the Skilled Dark Magician!" exclaimed Duke.

"Oh, no!" gasped Joe. "And Drake doesn't have any magic or trap cards on the field!"

"Attack, Cyber Falcon!" ordered Nesbit. His mechanical bird took to the skies, ready to dive bomb Drake's monster.

Just as the Cyber Falcon got close, there was a vortex of light that swirled around the Skilled Dark Magician. It disappeared before the attack could be completed. In its place stood the Dark Magician. With a wave of its staff, the more powerful Dark Magician blasted the Cyber Falcon out of the sky.

"How did he do that?!" gasped Yami.

"That's Skilled Dark Magician's special ability," said Kevin. "If the opponent activates three magic cards, Skilled Dark Magician can be tributed for the Dark Magician. Drake just held off until the opportune moment." (AN/ That one's for you Akhana!)

"I see…and the Skilled White Magician?" asked Yami.

"The same, but for the Buster Blader," answered Kevin.

The failed attack cost the Big 5 400 life points. They were now down to 3350, 100 ahead of the Good 5.

"You're out of monsters," said Drake. "Since you did discard three to use your Deck Master's special ability."

"I set my last two cards and end my turn," said Nesbit.

Duke eyed them suspiciously before speaking up. "Drake, my dice skills might come in handy here."

Drake looked back at him and caught the look in his eye. "It's all yours then." Drake backed down and Duke stepped forward.

"Hey! How come you get to go before me?!" asked Joe.

"Because I asked," replied Duke. He looked up at the Buster Blader. "This might be a good Deck Master, but I'm going to need my Strike Ninja." Their first Deck Master vanished and Duke's ninja took its place.

"Good luck Duke!" called Serenity.

Duke smiled back at her as he began his turn. "I summon Yaranzo to the field." His monster in a box appeared in front of him. It had an attack of 1300 and a defense of 1200.

"Halt! Before you go any further, I activate Block Attack," said Nesbit. "That forces one of your monsters into defense mode, and I choose your Dark Magician."

"I knew you'd try something like that, so I play this face down," said Duke, sliding a magic card into place. "I'm sorry Tristan, but I'm going to have to attack directly."

"Do what you have to do…just try not to mess up the hair," whined monkey Tristan, burying his face into Serenity.

"It's going to be fine, Tristan," soothed Serenity.

"So does that mean you're out of the 'monkey-is-a-spy' club, Duke?" asked Kevin. Duke ignored him.

"Yarnzo, attack his life points directly!" ordered Duke. His monster jumped forward with surprising speed for not having any legs. It slashed across Tristan's chest, forcing Nesbit to take a step backwards. The Big 5 dropped down to 2050 life points.

"How could you allow that to happen, Nesbit? Explain yourself!" demanded Lector to Nesbit.

"Explain what?" glowered Nesbit.

"You're poor dueling will not be tolerated!" snapped Lector, pushing him away.

"I think they're switching again," commented Drake. "I don't think they're too happy with their own dueling skills."

"They have dueling skills?" asked Joe.

"I'll be controlling this body for the remainder of the duel," announced Lector.

"He's the last one! If they can finish him, Tristan will get his body back!" cheered Téa. "You can do it!"

"Yes! No more bananas!" cheered Tristan, following it up with monkey chattering.

"I won't be so easy to beat," said Lector from behind Tristan's eyes. "First, to change my Deck Master." Jinzo replaced Robotic Knight.

"Great, they're goes all the trap cards," groaned Joe.

"Don't worry, I know Duke's plan," said Drake. "He'll be using magic cards and dice."

"That doesn't mean it's going to be easy," said Yami. "Lector managed to give Kaiba trouble."

"You're right, Yu-Gi," agreed Kevin. "Lector was the hardest one I faced."

"I start by activating Life Absorbing Machine," announced Lector. "This increase my life points by half of what I lost the last turn." Now the Big 5 had 2700 life points. "I'll also activate Solemn Wishes, which gives me 500 life points each time I draw a card."

"What are you trying to pull!" yelled Joe. "Those are trap cards! And Jinzo is on the field!"

"Jinzo is the Deck Master, and it will only effect my opponents," explained Lector, contemptuously.

"That just means I need to beat you quick," said Duke, brushing a few strands of dark hair out of his eyes.

"Now, I summon Injection Fairy Lily!" announced Lector. His nurse-like Duel Monster appeared. Her stats were 400 and 1500.

"She could be trouble," commented Drake.

"Now, to activate Lily's special ability! I will give up 2000 of my life points to increase her attack my 3000!" Lily looked surprised as the syringe in her hand tripled in size. "Now, Lily, eliminate the Dark Magician!"

Lily jumped onto her needle and flew forward. She hit the Dark Magician directly and destroyed it, but thanks the Nesbit's Block Attack, it was in defense mode. Duke shielded his eyes from the wind, but got no damage. The Big 5 now only had 700 life points.

"I set one card down and end my turn," announced Lector. _"Enchanted Javelin will win this duel for me. Mr. Deblin may think I don't have enough life points to increase Lily's attack. He'll foolishly attack me, and that will be the end of this duel."_

"Now the fun begins," smirked Duke as he drew his next card. "First, I'll activate my Deck Master's special ability. I have to discard two cards in my hand, but then I can use any face down magic or trap card on the field as my own, and I choose the card that Nesbit played!"

"Oh no," groaned Lector.

Strike Ninja put its hands together and in a series of swift motions the aforementioned card was in Duke's possession.

"Cost Down, this is even better than I thought," said Duke with a smirk.

"Yes!" cheered his friends.

"What luck!" added Joe. "Now he can summon a high level monster for one less tribute!"

"I'm going to put this to good use. I activate Cost Down, then I tribute my Yaranzo to bring Orgoth the Relentless to the field!" announced Duke. His powerhouse appeared directly in front of him, sword ready. Orgoth's attack was 2500 and its defense was 2400.

"Yeah! That monster is strong enough to wipe the floor with that wimpy fairy!" exclaimed Joe. "Lector doesn't have enough life points to increase her strength!"

"Look at Lector, he doesn't seem concerned," Yami said. "He's planning something, and I bet it's that face down card of his."

"Duke has a plan too," Drake said. "And that's his face down card."

"Your monster is strong, I'll give you credit," said Lector. "But brute strength won't win this duel for you."

"I haven't forgotten," replied Duke, calmly. "That's why I activate my face down card Dice Dungeon and Demented Dice from my hand!" His two magic cards flipped up and a grid formed over the battlefield.

"What is this?!" gasped Lector.

"I just made this duel a bit more like my Dungeon, Dice Monsters game," answered Duke, coolly. "The rules are easy enough, we both select one monster and take turns rolling the die to see what their attack points will be."

"Where on earth did he get those cards from?" Téa asked. "I've never heard of them before."

"Drake gave them to him," answered Lara. "He really likes Duke's Dungeon, Dice Monsters game."

"My monster will be Orgoth the Relentless," said Duke. "And since you only have one monster, you have to bring Lily to the field."

Lector said nothing as Lily floated forward to one of the squares on the grid.

"Now our dice game begins," said Duke. "I'll roll first." A die formed in mid-air in front of him. Duke picked it up and threw it into the air. "Go, dice roll!" After tumbling a bit it stopped on 3. Duke frowned for a moment. "Well, a 3 is neutral. Orgoth's stats remain unaltered. Your turn to roll."

"Fine," snapped Lector, snatching the die. He slammed it to the ground. "A two?"

"That would have been more helpful if your monster was strong," said Duke. "A two increases your monsters attack by 2000, but decreases its defense by 1000." Lily again looked shocked as her syringe double in size. Her attack was now 2400 and her defense was only 500. "And I hate to break it to you." Duke didn't sound to disappointed. "But Lily's special effect won't work in this dice game."

"That can't be right!" protested Lector.

"Check the rule book if you don't believe me," shrugged Duke.

"Those five wouldn't know what following the rules meant if it slapped them across the face," commented Kevin.

"They also don't know when to call it quits," added Joe.

"Right," agreed Drake. "Lily has 100 less attack points than Orgoth, you know what that means."

"Orgoth, attack his fairy with Diamond Blade Thrust!" ordered Duke. His monster charged forward and slashed once, slicing Lily in two. She burst into data particles.

"Enchanted Javelin!" announced Lector.

"What?!" gasped Duke.

"That raise my life points by the amount of attack points of your monster," said Lector. He gained 2500 life points, but lost 100 in his battle against Orgoth. At length the numbers on his duel disk stopped moving at 3100.

"If they keep this up, I'll never get my body back," groaned Tristan.

"Don't worry, they'll win," said Serenity. "My brother and Yu-Gi haven't even gone yet."

"If you are done playing with your dice, then I will start my next turn," growled Lector. "Since I drew a card, I gain 500 life points from Solemn Wishes. I also gain back half of what I lost last turn from Life Absorbing Machine." His life points rose to 4650.

"Great…" groaned Duke.

"My life points should be the least of your concern," said Lector, narrowing Tristan's eyes. "Because now I activate the card that will win your bodies for us! I activate Altar of Mist!"

"What does that do?" asked Duke, surprised.

"It's very bad news," said Yami. "In three turns he'll be able to select any ritual magic card in his entire deck! It means he'll easily be able to summon a powerful monster!"

"That means we have to win this within the next three turns," said Kevin.

"I'll give you time to think about that, so I play one monster face down in defense mode and set one magic card," said Lector as two card holograms appeared in front of him.

"Duke, I think it's time I stepped in," called Joe. "My dueling experience will be very helpful, and I have good luck with the dice too."

"Yeah, thanks," agreed Duke, stepping aside. Altar of Mist had made him a bit uneasy.

"Go Joe! I know you can win this for us!" cheered Serenity.

"Just don't do anything stupid!" called Téa.

"Hey!" protested Joe.

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Kaiba was walking through a large, empty room in virtual Kaibaland. This was the room he had planned to make the headquarters of the park. He looked around and frowned.

_"Looks like Noah didn't have enough imagination to fill this place with anything.."_

"Huh?!" gasped Kaiba. He looked to his left. A large, virtual oak doorway was hovering in mid-air. He was sure it had not been there a moment ago. "It's another one of the twerp's virtual doorways!" He walked over to it and put a hand on the doorknob.

_"If I had to guess, I'd say it leads to more imagines of my past…" _Kaiba thought as he opened the door. He opened it to a small room with an old film projector and a screen. There was nothing else in the room. The projector was loaded and ready to go. "What's this? A cheap, old movie projector?" He flipped it on.

_"Get with the times Noah…"_

It didn't show any scenes the Seto was familiar with. However, he was very familiar with the people in the show. It was a younger version of Noah, playing around with Gozaburo. There were brief glimpses of birthday parties, days at the beach, and horse-playing around the house.

"I bet you can't catch me dad!" laughed young Noah, looking back at Gozaburo.

_"It's Noah…nice outfit dork…"_ thought Kaiba, commenting on the school boy's outfit Noah was wearing. The reel continued to roll. "How sad, that little twerp is still trying to convince me that he's Gozaburo's son. I'm afraid it's going to take more than a few fake home movies to do that." The happy scenes stopped. Now the film was showing a solemn scene at a church. "What's this?"

"How could this have happened?" sobbed a lady Kaiba recognized from pictures as Gozaburo's ex-wife.

"Don't worry. Noah can still be saved. I'll find away," said Gozaburo.

"But how?" she asked, hopelessly.

"There's nothing I can't do," answered Gozaburo.

"What is all this supposed to mean? Noah was in some sort of accident?" Kaiba asked no one in particular."If these images are real, that would mean something devastating happened to Noah right before Gozaburo adopted me and Mokuba. But why would Noah want me to know all this information about his past? …Unless someone else is behind all this!"

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"What did happen to you?" Shayla asked Noah. "I can tell you are telling the truth about being Gozaburo's son, but what happened? Why didn't Kaiba know you before today?"

Noah chuckled, "Of all of you that I trapped in here, I must admit I'm surprised that you're the first to believe me."

"What happened? And is Kaiba right in assuming there is someone else here? Are you taking orders from someone?" Shayla asked, again resuming her calm front.

"What happened to me?" echoed Noah. "I died."

Shayla jerked up straighter. "You have got to be joking."

"No, I'm not," replied Noah. He figured the truth would be so absurd even she wouldn't believe it.

"Oh shoot…." moaned Shayla, her scales not sensing even the hint of a lie. "This can't be happening…it's impossible." Her front was crumbling fast.

Noah ignored her and returned to watching the other duelists, "Looks like Lector is going to come through this time, right Mokuba?"

Shayla's head jerked so she could hear him better. "Mokuba's here too?!"

"Of course," laughed Noah. "He's my brother now. I'm surprised it took you so long to realize we'd be together. Then again, you're as blind as a bat."

"Whatever jokes you come up with, I can guarantee you that I have heard them all and then some a hundred times before," retorted Shayla. She then turned to the right, where she had heard a faint shuffle. "Mokuba! Listen to me! I know what Noah did to you, but you have to fight it. I know Kaiba would do anything for you. I was there when he risked everything in a duel against Pegasus to save you. I heard you admit yourself that Kaiba had always been there for you, that you two are a team, that you'd never turn your back on him!"

Mokuba's eyes pulsed slightly red, but he made no other movement.

_"Dang it all!"_ thought Shayla, gripping her backpack. _"I have the Millennial Scales, which contain the power of truth! I should be able to shatter all those lies somehow! I don't know how to, though. I don't know how to properly use these things…Ishizu, I wish you were here now…but I'm on my own, everyone has forgotten about me. But I have to try. I have to do my best to reach Mokuba."_

"Mokuba, listen to me," Shayla called again.

"Save your breath, he has clearly made his choice," replied Noah. "The again, I guess things aren't ever very clear to you."

Shayla ignored him, though her lips thinned in a flare of anger at his comment. She had forgotten how bad her temper could be when she was provoked, because she hadn't been provoked since she entered the Duelist Kingdom.

"Mokuba, you must remember your real brother," said Shayla. "He's out there now trying to find you. Remember all the times you spent together, how he stood by you every day since your parents' deaths, when he wouldn't let anyone adopt him unless they adopted you too, how you gave him the picture of the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon to cheer him up…"

Mokuba winced slightly and shook his head a hair.

"Come on Mokuba, let's go to a less noisy place," said Noah. They vanished from the room. Shayla could hear them reappear in the living room where they watched the duel between Kaiba and Lector.

_"How was that possible?!"_ thought Noah. _"She actually managed to avert a portion of my control on Mokuba! That won't happen again! It's about time for her part in this plan."_

Shayla sighed and leaned back against the bars of the cage that held her. _"I feel so useless. I'm the bearer of a Millennial Item and I can't even get it to work when and how I want it to…I…I've blown it, haven't I? I can hear everyone, together, supporting each other. I should have tried to find them. I made a huge mistake by just sitting there…But we are friends…aren't we? I can't expect them to come after me when I didn't go after them, I guess. It hurts that they forgot me, but I can't say I've been a better friend. That needs to change. I made a promise to Mai that I wouldn't leave her alone…and I shouldn't leave my other friends either, even if their all together, I still need to act like their friend. I don't know what I was thinking, just sitting there. I've spent too much time alone…I never, never want to go back to that………"_

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"No offense Duke, but I'm changing the Deck Master," said Joe. "I'm bringing out my Flame Swordsman!" The ninja vanished and Joe's favorite monster stood behind him, right where it had when he faced Johnson.

"It doesn't matter what monster you choose for your Deck Master, you will not win this duel," said Lector. "Then all your bodies will be ours and we will finally escape this virtual nightmare while your minds wander cyber space for all eternity!"

"Whatever, less talking more dueling," said Joe. "I summon Alligator Sword to the field!" His alligator warrior appeared next to Duke's Orgoth the Relentless. The Alligator Sword had an attack of 1500. _"I want to attack his face down monster, but Duke's dice cards are still in play, looks like I'm going to have to play Duke's game…no biggie…"_

"I'm waiting Mr. Wheeler," said Lector, impatiently.

"That eager to lose?" asked Joe. "Well, time to play a dice game! So bring your monster to the dice field and I'll choose mine!"

"Sorry, but there won't be a dice game," smirked Lector. "Because to move my monster to the field, I first have to flip it over, and that activates its effect! Meet my Cyber Jar!" The card hologram flipped over, forming a 3D metal vase.

"Not that thing!" groaned Joe.

"I should have known that was coming," muttered Drake.

The Cyber Jar inhaled Orgoth and Alligator Sword before self-destructing and destroying itself with them. Those present had to shield their eyes from the blast.

"Now, we both pick up five cards and immediately summon any monster with four stars or less," explained Lector, reaching for his deck.

"Wait! Does that mean he gains 500 points for each card he draws?!" gasped Duke.

"No," answered Drake. "It's the small print of the card. Cyber Jar says to pick up, not draw, and Lector's Solemn Wishes only work on the word 'draw'."

"Saved by a technicality," commented Kevin.

"I summon Swordsman of Landstar and Cyber Harpy!" announced Joe. _"That's for you Mai!"_ The Swordsman of Landstar looked like a pink bubble of a marshmallow that had been shoved into violet armor. It even had a tiny shield and a short sword. Somehow, it managed to float slightly higher than the other holograms, which might have something to do with its weight. Its stats were 500 and 1200. Both of his monsters were in attack mode. The Cyber Harpy looked like Mai's favorite monster, Harpy Lady. The only difference was the high tech armor she wore. But she still had the same red hair, talons, claws, and wings. Her stats were 1800 and 1300.

"And I summon Dreamsprite and Cure Mermaid," said Lector. Dreamsprite was a rather small, blue fairy with stats of only 300 and 200. Cure Mermaid had a bright red tail and wavy blonde hair. She wore a pink blouse with the sleeves feathered to resemble fins and matching gloves. She wore a golden tiara on her golden locks. Her ears looked like fins, the same color as her tail. A teardrop pendant hung around her neck. Her stats were 1500 and 800. The Dreamsprite was in defense mode while the Cure Mermaid was in attack mode.

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_"It seems that I'm not the only one worried about Mai,"_ thought Shayla. _"I once teased her about Joe liking her, but I don't think it's a joke any more. I definitely have to get out of her so I can tell her, as soon as she wakes up…So those guys had better win. I don't think I could stand for them to lose with Lector touching my cards."_

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"Cyber Harpy, attack his Cure Mermaid!" ordered Joe.

"Reveal Mask of Perplexity!" announced Lector.

"What's going on!?" exclaimed Joe, rubbing his eyes frantically as a yellowish haze settled over them. "I can't see a darn thing!"

"That cheater!" growled Kevin. "That card should be banned!"

"It wasn't intended to be real," said Drake.

"Those Big 5 will do anything to win! That's cowardly!" snapped Duke.

"Joe! Are you okay?!" called Serenity.

"Sure sis," said Joe, waving at her. But he couldn't see and he ended up waving at a cactus fifty feet to the side of the hill Serenity was standing on.

"Choose your target," said Lector.

"I…erm…" stammered Joe, trying to peer through the haze. "That one!" He pointed to a card. "Cyber Harpy! Destroy it!"

There was a flash of a light and a cry from a monster as it was vaporized. The haze vanished from Joe's eyes.

"Thank the lord," he muttered. "Hey! How come you still have two monsters?!" He looked over at Lector, who had his Dreamsprite and Cure Mermaid still in tack.

"Look at your side of the field Mr. Wheeler," said Lector in a condescending tone.

Joe looked in front of him. His Cyber Harpy was still standing, but his Swordsman of Landstar was nowhere to be seen.

"No! I destroyed my own monster!" protested Joe.

"Yes you did," gloated Lector. "And since you foolishly played it in attack mode, you have also lost a significant portion of your remaining life points." The Good 5 now had slightly less than half of their life points at 1950.

"That was a dirty trick!" growled Joe. "And I won't let you forget it, because I'm going to pay you back double!"

"You'll do nothing, because it's my turn," said Lector, Tristan's eyes narrowing a bit. "And first, I'll increase my life points. I gain 500 by drawing a card with Solemn Wishes in play, then I gain 800 from my Cure Mermaid." This brought the Big 5 all the way up to 5950 life points.

"How are we going to bring them down now?" asked Kevin. "They've got more life points than ever before!"

"Joe will find a way to win this," said Yami.

"He'd better, I'm sick of this video game," muttered Drake. "Leave to Kaiba to get us all into a mess like this and bail."

"Now, I tribute my two monsters and summon my Barrel Dragon!" declared Lector. Barrel Dragon was a blue, crystalline, mechanical dragon. Its front arms as well as the top of its head were large cannons. Thunder occasionally sparked from one of the cannons. Its attack was 2600 and its defense was 2200. It was large, but by dragon standards, it was nothing special.

"This doesn't look good," muttered Duke.

"That's a really powerful monster!" exclaimed Téa.

"Yeah, but Joe is actually keeping his cool," commented Lara.

"Maybe Joe has an idea," suggested Serenity.

"Or maybe he's just lost his mind," replied Tristan.

"Now, Barrel Dragon, attack his Cyber Harpy!" ordered Lector, pointing. The Barrel Dragon bellowed and charged up its cannons. It fired three powerful blasts of thunder at Joe's monster.

"Not so fast! I activate my Deck Master's special ability!" yelled Joe. "I transfer some of the attack points of my Deck Master to my Cyber Harpy!"

"Oh no!" cried Lector.

"Oh yes!" cheered everyone else.

Joe transferred 900 of his Flame Swordsman's attack points to his Cyber Harpy. That left his Flame Swordsman with 900 attack points, and increased Cyber Harpy to 2700. The Cyber Harpy slashed at the incoming attack, deflecting it right back where it came from. The Barrel Dragon bellowed in pain as it was destroyed by its own attack. The Big 5 lost 100 life points, bringing them down to 5850.

"So much for your monster," smirked Joe. "Now you have nothing guarding your life points, and it's my turn!"

"Finish him off this turn! I want my body back!" yelled Tristan, half in monkey.

"First, I play my Scapegoat magic card," said Joe. Four fluffy pink cartoony sheep appeared in front of him.

"Those pathetic creatures are no threat to me," glared Lector.

"Then watch and learn as I activate my Shepherd magic card!" replied Joe. (AN/ Authoress license taken). "That allows me to use my Scapegoats as tributes for a monsters! So I tribute two of my Scapegoats and summon Jinzo!" His android appeared in place of two of his sheep, glaring across the field at Lector's identical Deck Master. Its stats were 2400 and 1500. "Your Jinzo might be a bit to cooperating for you, but mine won't show you any mercy! Jinzo, destroy all of his trap cards!"

"No!" shouted Lector as Jinzo blasted his Solemn Wishes and Life Absorbing Machine right to the graveyard.

"Yes! Now Lector cannot raise his life points any more!" cheered Yami. "Great move Joe!"

"Thanks pal," replied Joe. "Now, I have two powerful monsters on the field! Say good-bye to most of you life points! Jinzo! Cyber Harpy! Attack him directly!"

"I can't watch…" moaned Tristan, burying his face into Serenity again.

Joe's two monsters attacked at the same moment, covering the field in bright light through with a gasp of surprise and pain could be heard from Lector in Tristan. When the light faded he was standing, though Tristan's jacket was smoldering. His life points had dropped all the way to 750.

"You will regret that Mr. Wheeler as soon as I win this duel and escape to the real world in your body!" growled Lector as he drew his next card. _"Gravity Bind! This card would be very useful if it wasn't for his Jinzo!"_

"I play Magic Watch Tranquilizer!" announced Lector. He held out his arm without the duel disk on it and a high tech watch formed on it. "Now, to test it out! And I'm aiming for your Jinzo!" He held his arm out and a dart shot out of the watch, striking Jinzo in the neck. Joe's monster moaned as it lost attack points equal to 100 times its level. Jinzo now had an attack of 1800. Joe bit his lip, but said nothing.

"That's not all," said Lector. "I activate this magic card, which lets me bring back any magic card in my graveyard! And I chose A Legendary Ocean!"

"A Legendary Ocean?" echoed Joe, who sounded confused.

"You heard me correctly, Mr. Wheeler," replied Lector. The desert land between them flooded once more. "Then, I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3!" This monster looked like a submarine combined with a hovercraft and painted red. Over the cockpit was a blue glass doom, making the machine look like it had bug eyes. It floated easily on the water. Its stats were 1500 and 1300.

"It's not even strong enough to take out my Jinzo!" laughed Joe.

"I'm not aiming for your Jinzo, I'm aiming for you!" snapped Lector. "Since we are now playing on a water field, Amphibious Bugroth can attack your life points directly! Attack!"

"It can do that?!" gasped Joe as Lector's monster disappeared beneath the water. "Where did it go? AGH!" Amphibious Bugroth surfaced right in front of him, behind his monsters. It fired a blast of solid energy at Joe from point blank range. Joe gasped in pain and slid to his knees.

"Joe!" cried Serenity.

"If he gets attacked like that again, it's all over!" gasped Lara.

"I'm fine…ugh…really," he groaned, struggling to his feet. The Good 5's life points dropped to 650. He glared at Lector. "Your monster is scrap metal at the start of my next turn!"

"I doubt that, Mr. Wheeler, because now I activate my magic card Curse of Fiend! That changes the battle positions of all the monsters on the field!" announced Lector. "That means all of our monsters are switched to defense mode!"

"Aw man," groaned Kevin. "He's so close to crushing them!"

Joe drew his next card. "I'm not going to let you get away with another attack like that! I play Harpy's Feather Duster, in honor of Mai!" His Cyber Harpy's wings lengthened. She flew into the sky creating a powerful tornado, which blew A Legendary Ocean off of the field. The holograms showed her blowing away all of the water, thoroughly drenching Lector in Tristan's body in the process. His other magic card remained untouched because it was not specifically targeted by Harpy's Feather Duster, which it needed to be to be destroyed according to the card's description.

"Now, I summon Panther Warrior to the field!" declared Joe. His black cat wearing armor appeared in front of him. Its attack was 2000. "First, I sacrifice one of my remaining Scapegoats so that Panther Warrior can attack!" One of the fluffy sheep vanished and Panther Warrior pulsed for a moment, before it jumped into the air and slashed through Amphibious Bugroth with its sword. The machine split in two.

"Yes! That's Lector's last monster!" cheered Drake.

"I'm going to get my body back!" cheered Tristan, leaping to the ground and waving his paws in the air.

"I'll play these two cards face down and end my turn," said Joe, sliding two cards home.

Lector started laughing, and laughing hard.

"What's so funny?!" demanded Joe.

"This duel is over!" laughed Lector.

"No it ain't! So quick acting like a clown and duel!" snapped Joe.

"Altar of Mists!" gasped Drake.

Yami gasped too, "It's been three turns!"

"Your friends are correct Mr. Wheeler," said Lector. "Now it is time to reveal the Big 5's ultimate creature. Altar of Mists lets me select one ritual card from my entire deck, and I choose Dragon Revival Ritual!"

"You're forgetting one thing Lector," Drake interrupted. "You have to have enough monsters to tribute to use your ritual card, and I don't see any on your side of the field, unless you want to count your Deck Master."

"That's right," agreed Yami. "And to use Dragon Revival Ritual you have to have five different monsters on the field, all with a different attribute."

"Looks like Joe's neck is saved for a while now," said Duke.

"On the contrary, you'll be meeting our ultimate monster on this turn," said Lector.

"Well I must be missing something, because I only see one monster on your side of the field," replied Joe.

"Correct, you are missing something," replied Lector, "because Jinzo isn't my only Deck Master, remember?"

"The other members of the Big 5's Deck Masters count too!?" gasped Drake.

"That doesn't sound fair at all!" protested Kevin.

"Look, these guys will do anything to win. Who said they were fair?" asked Duke, sounding very unhappy.

"Those five disgrace the game of Duel Monsters," growled Lara.

"Joe will be able to stop them," said Serenity, with complete faith in her brother.

"Now, to bring out all our Deck Masters!" said Lector. "First, the unstoppable Jinzo." His Deck Master stepped onto the field.

"Then the refined Deepsea Warrior," said Gamesly from Tristan, his monster appearing behind Jinzo and standing to its left.

"The cool Nightmare Penguin," added Crum, his Deck Master standing to the right of Jinzo.

"The perfect Robotic Knight," said Nesbit, his monster standing next to Deepsea Warrior.

"And finally the mighty Judgeman," finished Johnson, his monster taking the remaining place on the field.

"Now to activate Dragon Revival Ritual!" announced Lector.

The five Deck Masters formed a circle. A bright red glowing line darted and weaved between them, forming a star. The star flashed to blinding levels and an enormous creature stepped out of it. It was a five headed dragon, one head was a burning flame, the second was crystalline ice, the third was sleek darkness, the fourth hard earth, and the last was pale as wind. The five heads were mounted on one shoulder. The main body was pale yellow and very well built. Its attack was 5000.

"Not that thing!" gasped Joe.

"Meet our Mythic Dragon!" laughed Lector. (AN/ I chose to use this name for that monster, please no comments.)

"Woah!" exclaimed Drake, looking at it in awe. Yami had to poke him to snap him back into reality.

"I remember the last time we went up against that monster," groaned Joe, wincing at the memory.

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_"I remember too,"_ thought Shayla, holding her stomach. She had taken a direct attack from that creature. _"Good luck guys, I'm cheering for you too."_

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"Time to introduce you to Mythic Dragon's special abilities," smirked Lector. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! There was many explosions from all over the field.

"What's going on?!" demanded Joe.

"Mythic Dragon destroys all magic, trap, and monster cards on the field when summoned," replied Lector. "You'll never recover from that, let alone stop our mighty dragon! Your bodies are all ours!"

"Not so fast," said Joe. "I activate Fake Trap, which saves all my magic and trap cards from being destroyed by your monster."

Lector narrowed Tristan's eyes. "You have one remaining magic card, I don't know what you plan on doing with it, but I can guarantee you, it won't be enough."

"This duel isn't over yet!" replied Joe.

Drake chuckled. "I think you'd have to kill Joe before he ever gave up."

"I don't know," replied Kevin. "I think he'd still keep going after that."

"He'll need to in order to beat that monster," said Duke.

"Hang in there Joe!" called Serenity.

"My sister's right," Joe said to Lector. "We beat that dragon once before and we'll do it again!"

"Ha! Last time you only one because you summoned Dragon Master Knight!" laughed Lector. "You don't have the cards to do that again!"

_"Dang it, he's right,"_ groaned Joe. _"And I've only got one trap card and virtual no hand!"_

"There's one other detail I'd like to mention," said Lector. "Just to drive all thoughts of victory out of your head."

"What's that?" asked Joe, coldly.

"Mythic Dragon cannot be destroyed by monsters of earth, fire, wind, water, or darkness," replied Lector.

"That only leaves one monster! Creatures of light!" gasped Duke.

"Your chances of rescuing Tristan just got thinner, and I think you all know what that means! It means all of you will soon join him as the Big 5 newest corporate take over!" taunted Lector.

"Drop dead!" spat Lara.

"That just means your going to feel really stupid when we beat that thing," said Drake. "Duelists like the five of you don't deserve to control a dragon that magnificent."

"Well, at least Jinzo is no longer their Deck Master, so Joe can use traps again," said Kevin.

"I play one card face down. Your move, Mr. Wheeler," said Lector, "since Mythic Dragon cannot attack in the turn it is summoned. But mind you, this will be your last turn."

_"Maybe dueling every member of the Big 5 at the same time wasn't such a good idea. Cause if I lose, they'll get all our bodies,"_ thought Joe, hesitating.

"Joe, I think it is time I step in," said Yami, walking up besides him.

"Thanks man," replied Joe, stepping aside.

"Good, I get to crush the King of Games at his own game!" laughed Lector.

"Your taunts do not threaten me," said Yami. "If you were a true duelist you wouldn't need to intimidate your opponent with words."

"Fine, I'll let my ultimate creature speak for me! And you'll taste its strength when I finish you next turn!" snapped Lector.

"I promise you this, you will not win this duel!" replied Yami. "You will not be able to break the power of our friendship that we have dueled with. Our combined strength will take you and your dragon down! And as proof of my faith in my friends, I will not change my Deck Master."

"Woah…thanks Yug, I hope you know what you're doing," said Joe.

"I hate to see that dragon destroyed, I have a feeling it's going to be worth it to see what moves Yu-Gi pulls out of the hat," commented Drake.

Yami examined his hand, _" I need to summon Desboltsga to the field, but in order to do that, I need to sacrifice another monster…"_ (AN/ If anyone knows how to spell that monster's name, please tell me, because I am completely stumped.)

Yami selected another card, "I summon Rock Spirit to the field by removing Orgoth the Relentless from play." His first monster was a warrior wearing semi-ancient armor. It had an attack of 1700, but it didn't stay on the field for too long. "Then, I tribute my Rock Spirit for Desboltsga!" This monster was a small dragon by dragon standards. It looked a bit like the Lesser Dragon, though it was red. It stood on its hide legs. Silver tipped the edges of its scales. Its attack was 2300. (AN/ Authoress license used with the attack points.)

"Now I play two cards face down," said Yami.

"He played his monster in attack mode!" exclaimed Kevin.

"What is he thinking?" asked Duke.

_"He's on to Yu-Gi's trap, that move was too obvious,"_ thought Joe, twisting to try to get Yami's attention. _"He's planning on having Lector attack him, so that he can activate a trap card! It will never work!"_ He continued to twitch, trying to warn Yami. Those close to him gave him a weird look and took a few steps back.

"Don't you think Joe's acting a little weird?" asked Téa.

"Weirder than normal you mean," said Tristan.

"Maybe a bumblebee flew down his pants?" suggested Serenity.

"He's trying to warn Yu-Gi about something," said Lara. "See, Yu-Gi played a weaker monster, then he played cards face down. It's a really predictable move. He wants Lector to attack him."

"Really? That doesn't sound like something Yu-Gi would do," said Téa, thoughtfully.

_"Yu-Gi might as well be wearing a sign that says 'I set a trap so come on and attack me',"_ thought Joe.

"I don't know what game you are playing, Mr. Motou, but after a move like that, you won't be playing it long!" snapped Lector. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to eliminate one of your face down cards!"

"Oh no!" Yami gasped, lightly. One of his trap cards flipped up to reveal itself as Mirror Force before it broke to digital particles.

"I see, you were planning on reflecting Mythic Dragon's attack back at me!" said Lector.

"Y-Yes…" admitted Yami.

"Come on Yug! That's the oldest trick in the duel book!" protested Yami.

"It was worth a try," Yami shrugged.

"Worth a try?! There's too much at stake to try a lame move like that!" yelled Joe.

Drake muttered something under his breath that sounded like, "…plan B…"

"Let's finish this. Mythic…" started Lector. Then he stopped.

"What's wrong? Malfunction or something?" taunted Kevin.

"You don't seem too concerned for someone who's about to lose his body, Mr. Motou," said Lector, his eyes narrowing at Yami. "So I'll activate Raigeki and rid the field of your monster!"

"Oh no!" gasped, surprisingly, Drake.

"What's the matter?" asked Joe as a huge blast of thunder blasted Desboltsga to the graveyard.

"Yu-Gi's real plan just shattered," said Drake.

"Real plan?" asked Duke.

Drake nodded, "Desboltsga has a special ability too. It gains 200 attack points for each magic card Yu-Gi opponent plays. I bet his face down card is a card to weaken the Mythic Dragon. He was also planning to blow Mythic Dragon away with Mirror Force if his other card got destroyed."

"I see, he had two plans," said Joe.

"Yeah, but now he's wide open for a direct attack!" protested Kevin.

"His turn's not over yet," said Joe. "Yug will think of something."

Yami frowned. Joe's acting had been perfect, and he almost had Lector fall for the trap. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician!" His favorite monster appeared in front of him, crouched down in defense mode.

"Even playing a monster in defense mode will not save you now!" said Lector. "Because I equip Mythic Dragon with Fairy Meteor Crush!"

"Oh no!" gasped Yami, who now truly seemed frightened.

"Now what does that card do?" asked Duke.

"It allows the Mythic Dragon to do battle damage to Yu-Gi's life points even if his monsters are in defense mode," explained Drake.

"But, he doesn't have enough life points to survive an attack from that dragon!" protested Kevin.

"Yu-Gi! We believe in you!" called Téa from the hilltop. "Don't quit!"

"You can beat it! I know you can!" added Serenity. "Please win this for Tristan!"

"Yeah…" said Tristan. He tried to say more, but it came out as pure monkey chatter.

"I don't care how much your friends disillusion themselves into thinking you're going to win, Mr. Motou, because this duel is over," said Lector. "I play this card face down to ensure my victory. Now, Mythic Dragon, attack his Dark Magician and finish this duel!"

"I'm not out of this yet!" said Yami. "I activate my face down card, reveal Mirror Wall!"

"Ha! I put that card in the deck too, for Mai!" cheered Joe.

"You seemed to put a lot of her cards in the deck," commented Duke.

"Well, she's a friend, and she should be here, if it wasn't for that creep Marik," sighed Joe.

"Mai? Who's Mai?" asked Kevin, eagerly. The others rolled their eyes and ignored him.

"Funny, Bakura should be here too, yet I didn't see any of his cards in the deck," said Drake, giving Joe an amused look.

"Well…erm…I…" stammered Joe.

"I counter with Trap Jammer!" shouted Lector.

Yami looked completely frozen. That was his last defense. _"I'm going to lose this duel! There's nothing else I can do! I did my best…"_

The Mythic Dragon's five heads leaned back, charging their attack.

"Yu-Gi! Do something!" cried Duke as the Mythic Dragon attacked.

"There's nothing he can do!" exclaimed Kevin.

"There has to be something…" said Joe. He looked frantically around and his eyes rested on his Deck Master. "Flame Swordsman! Take the attack!"

"What are you thinking?! If the Deck Master is destroyed the duel is over anyways!" exclaimed Duke.

"Not again, not again," moaned Serenity.

"I don't think I can watch this," groaned Téa.

BOOM! There was a loud explosion as the attack connected. The force of it covered the entire area in smoke. The duelists were gagging and coughing for a full minute before the field cleared enough for them to see what had happened.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Drake.

"I'm still here," said Joe.

"Yeah…" coughed Duke.

"You girls okay?" Kevin called up the hill.

"We're all fine," Serenity called back.

"Drake! You had better be okay!" called Lara, her voice filled with concern.

"I'm fine," Drake shouted up.

"Yu-Gi!" cried Téa.

"I'm here Téa," replied Yami.

"How can that be?!" demanded Lector, who was just becoming visible on the other side of the field from behind his dragon. He surveyed Yami's side of the field. "How can both your Dark Magician and your Flame Swordsman still be here and your life points unharmed?!"

"That's the powerful of our friendship," said Yami. "Joe left one trap card on the field, Silver Dollar."

"But that card only protects weak monsters, ones with less than 1000 attack points from destruction," said Drake.

"Yeah, but my Flame Swordsman only had 900 attack points after I gave 900 of them to Cyber Harpy," said Joe.

"And you had it stand in front of the Dark Magician, protecting them both!" exclaimed Duke.

"That was way too close, though," said Kevin.

"You might have bought yourself one turn, but that's all!" snapped Lector. "I play one card face down. Take your last turn."

"Your right, it will be my last turn," said Yami. "Because I intend on winning this duel now!"

"You're bluffing," accused Lector.

"It's time to bring down your ultimate creature," said Yami. "I use the magic card Polymerization to fuse my Dark Magician with my Flame Swordsman to create the Dark Flare Knight!" Dark Flare Knight had a face that looked like a cross between the two monsters that created it. It had a black version of the Dark Magician's armor, modified only a bit to make it more like a warrior. It wore a dark cape and carried a sword like the Flame Swordsman. It also carried a dark shield with a red crest. Its stats were 2200 and 800.

"You fool, not only is that monster too weak, it is a creature of darkness and our monster can only be destroyed by a creature of light!" snapped Lector.

Yami smirked, "Dark Flare Knight, attack his Mythic Dragon!"

Everyone's eyes went wide has the Dark Flare Knight charged the Mythic Dragon. It raised its sword and waves of fire and darkness flowed up and down it. The Mythic Dragon countered with a blast from each head. The attacks collided in mid-air. For a moment they were balanced against each other. Then the Mythic Dragon overpowered the Dark Flare Knight. The knight's attack disintegrated and the dragon's attack blasted it to atoms.

"Ha! This duel is over!" laughed Lector.

"No, it isn't," said Yami.

"How come you are still standing there?! You had not magic or trap cards to activate!" snapped Lector.

"Thanks to Dark Flare Knight's special ability," explained Yami. "Dark Flare Knight prevents me from losing life points when it is involved in a battle. You'll notice my Deck Master is gone but I'm still in this duel. That's because of its second effect. Whenever Dark Flare Knight is destroyed a Mirage Knight is then summoned to take its place."

As he finished speaking a new knight formed in front of him. This one had frost blue hair in the same style as the Dark Magician. Its armor was the same as the Dark Flare Knight, except it was pure white. Its cape was frost blue, like its hair. It still carried the sword and shield, though those were white as well. Its stats were 2800 and 2000.

"It's still too weak. Why did you go through all that trouble to summon it?" asked Lector. Then Tristan's eyes went wide. "Unless Mirage Knight has a special ability as well!

Yami nodded, "he may look weak, but first impressions can be deceiving, now look closely Lector. Mirage Knight's special ability is about to seal our victory." Mirage Knight's attack points were growing and growing.

"How can is that possible?!" gasped Lector.

"Mirage Knight adds the attack points of the opposing monster to its own," said Yami, smirking. "That means it now has an attack of 7800!"

"That has got to be the strongest I have ever seen any monster!" gasped Drake.

"Cream him!" cheered Téa.

"Yes! I get my…" started Tristan, but he said 'body back' in chimp.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention, Lector," said Yami. "Mirage Knight is a creature of light! Now, Mirage Knight, destroy the Mythic Dragon!"

Mirage Knight rushed forward and leapt into the air, sword raise. It sliced the Mythic Dragon clean in half. The dragon burst into bits.

"This reminds me of a fairy tale," commented Lara. "Where the brave knight beats an evil dragon to save the beautiful princess."

"It does seem a bit like that," agreed Téa. She paused. "But wouldn't that make Tristan the princess?"

"Hey!" protested Tristan, making angry monkey noises. The girls giggled.

They weren't the only ones laughing. When the last bit of the Big 5's dragon vanished, Lector burst into laughter like a madman.

"I think this duel has fried his brain," said Joe.

"He had a brain to begin with?" asked Kevin.

"Guys, something's wrong," said Drake. "He should have lost all his life points and his Deck Master, but he's still standing there."

"What's going on?" asked Duke.

"Explain yourself Lector!" snapped Yami.

"I activated A Deal With Dark Ruler," laughed Lector. "It cost me half of my life points, but it saved the other half from your attack." He now had a slim 275 life points.

"A Deal With Dark Ruler?" asked Yami.

"Guys, this is major trouble," said Drake.

A dark violet dragon rose out of the ground. Its scales and armor was thin and jagged so much that they looked like bones. It had dead white hair, black eyes, and crude teeth. Its attack was 3500 though its defense was 0, like most zombies.

"What is that thing?!" gasped Joe.

"How could he do that?" asked Serenity.

"A Deal With Dark Ruler also allows me to summon Berserk Dragon is an eight star or more monster is destroyed," smirked Lector.

"That makes Berserk Dragon his new Deck Master," commented Lara.

"Mirage Knight can handle it," said Duke.

Those words were barely out of his mouth when Mirage Knight glowed and broke back into the Flame Swordsman and Dark Magician.

"Now what happened?" asked Téa.

"Mirage Knight can only stay on the field for one turn," sighed Yami. "Then it changes back into the original monsters the fused it."

"This doesn't look good at all," said Duke.

"Well, at least destroying the Mythic Dragon got rid of Fairy Meteor Crush," sighed Joe.

"I play these two cards face down and end my turn," said Yami, sliding two cards into his duel disk.

"You won't survive this next attack! Both of your monsters are in attack mode, and my Berserk Dragon has more than enough attack points to destroy them and your remaining life points!" laughed Lector.

"You'll have to find them first!" said Yami. "I activate Magical Hats!" Four magician's top hats appeared on the field. One covered the Dark Magician, the other the Flame Swordsman.

"We might not be out of this yet," said Duke. "Lector has a one in two chance of finding a monster."

"I wish it was that easy," said Drake, who looked worried.

Lector was laughing again.

"Who slipped him the laughing gas?" asked Kevin, who was sounding a bit annoyed.

"You've forgotten, Berserk Dragon had a special ability too," laughed Lector.

"And what is that?" asked Yami.

"It can attack four times in the same turn!"

"But…that means he'll find the Flame Swordsman and the Dark Magician no matter what!" gasped Duke.

"This is bad! And I'm all out of ideas!" exclaimed Joe.

"We can't lose this, we just can't," said Lara.

"It's impolite to wear a hat in a place of business. Berserk Dragon! Attack!" ordered Lector. The zombie dragon pulled its head back and fired four balls of energy, aiming at all four of the Magical Hats.

"No! Yu-Gi!" cried Téa.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Before the attacks could hit the hats, four beams of light appeared in front of the hats, each one taking a hit. The moment before they were destroyed, the light faded enough to reveal them as Kevin's Buster Blader, Drake's Ryu Senshi, Duke's Strike Ninja, and Joe's Cyber Harpy.

"What the heck was that?!" gasped Tristan.

Yami was standing with a smug look on his face, his last face down card flipped up in front of him. "I told you that our friendship would win this duel for us, and now I have proven it!"

"What. Did. You. Do?!" growled Lector.

"That was a very rare magic card known as the Ties of Friendship," answered Yami.

"No way!" exclaimed Joe and Drake.

"What?" asked Duke and Kevin.

"That's the card he won in the Duelist Kingdom!" gasped Téa.

"Yeah, but he gave it to that teddy-bear girl Rebecca," said Tristan.

"They're using a card database, so Ties of Friendship would be programmed into it," commented Lara.

"Ties of Friendship is a card that can only be used in a multi-player duel," explained Yami. "It summons one monster that each of my friends had used before in this duel. Though it costs me half of my life points." They were now at a shallow 325.

"Awesome!" cheered Joe and Kevin, high-fiving each other.

"I wish dad could see that card in use," commented Drake, softly.

"You see, we are friends, and we stand by each other no matter what. There is power in our unity, and it will get us through anything that comes our way, whether it's a duel or not. We are always there to help each other along, because where we are weak our friends are strong. Someone like you and the other Big 5, after using people like pawns, could never truly learn the power that comes from trust, respect, and caring. However, I hope I have at least opened your eyes to the power that exists between friends," said Yami.

"You all sound like pages out of a self-help book," retorted Lector, narrowing Tristan's eyes just again.

"That's just sad if your heart is still so hard," said Yami, shaking his head.

"Hey! Look at his dragon!" exclaimed Joe.

"Huh?" asked Serenity. "It got weaker!" Berserk Dragon, indeed, has lost 500 attack points, bring it down to 3000 attack points.

"That's the clause of Berserk Dragon," said Drake. "It loses 500 attack points at the end of every turn."

"Awesome!" cheered Kevin.

"There's no way the Big 5 can pull out any more good moves!" added Duke.

"Now to finish you corporate traitors once for all!" said Yami. "I activate Knight's Title to transform my Dark Magician into the Dark Magician Knight!" The armor on the Dark Magician warped to make it more like knight's armor, more practical for battle combat. However, its attack was still the same at 2500.

"Cool!" was the murmur from the spectators.

"I'll activate my Deck Master's special ability and transfer 800 attack points from my Flame Swordsman and transfer them to the Dark Magician Knight," declared Yami as his Dark Magician Knight's attack increased to 3300.

"Yes! Now it's more than strong enough to take out Lector's life points and Deck Master!" exclaimed Duke.

"And he has no magic or trap cards to protect himself!" added Kevin.

"And he's out of special abilities too," smirked Drake.

"And he knows it!" laughed Joe. "Look at him squirm!"

"Dark Flare Knight! Attack with Dark Magic Sword!" ordered Yami. His newest knight charged forward. In a series of strokes too fast for the eye to follow, it shredded the Berserk Dragon.

"NOOO!" cried Lector as his Deck Master was destroyed and his life points hit 0.

"Yes! We did it!" cheered those on the ground.

"I get my body back!" cheered Tristan, who was on cloud nine.

"Thank you," said Yami, looking back at his friends. "I never could have done it without all of you."

"Hey, don't sell yourself shorter than you already are," laughed Joe. "You did awesome bro."

"I was completely impressed," added Kevin. "I can see why they call you the King of Games."

"That duel was rather fun," agreed Drake.

Yami turned back to Lector. "Now return Tristan's body like you promised and run back to Noah. We've all had enough of you." He smiled. "It was a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen."

"Hey Tristan, I guess your days of living like a chimp are over," called Duke up the cliff.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you Duke," said Tristan. If Duke would have heard him, he would have removed a few gears out of friendship.

The Big 5 had not moved from within Tristan's body.

"Well? Now it's time for you five to give Tristan his body back," said Yami.

"I believe you've mistaken me for someone who believes in playing fair," said Nesbit.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! All five Deck Masters, now controlled by their respective member of the Big 5 jumped out of Tristan's body and charged the teens.

"What?! It's go time!" shouted Joe, raising his fists.

"Lousy cheaters! You won't get away with this!" growled Drake, taking a battle stance.

"Don't you five know when you've lost?" asked Duke, who sounded highly annoyed.

"Girls, run for it!" called Kevin, raising his duel disk. "We'll hold them!"

"You won't get away with this!" said Yami, already drawing on the power of his Millennial Puzzle.

"We already have!" said Gamesly.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The five Duel Monsters were suddenly thrown back into Tristan's body with such force that he went flying back several yards.

"Hey! What's going on?!" demanded Nesbit.

"Trying to break the rules again? Are we?" said Noah's voice from somewhere in the sky. He sounded furious.

"Noah!" gasped everyone present.

"You five fools have failed me for the last time!" yelled Noah.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" screamed the Big 5 as Noah pulled them into a vortex and they vanished completely.

"Oh no! They took Tristan's body away with them!" gasped Téa.

"I don't believe it," moaned Tristan, who sounded like Christmas had been cancelled (or that Gema had planned another hot cocoa fic.) "I'll be stuck in this monkey suit for the rest of my life! And I'm feeling more like a monkey and less like me every second." He looked down sadly.

Serenity bent down and picked him up, holding him close like a stuffed animal. "I'm here for you, Tristan."

Tristan tried not to look too happy.

"I guess we have to get going again," said Joe.

"Yeah, we have to find Tristan's body and get out of here," said Téa.

"We also have to help Kaiba find and save Mokuba," reminded Serenity.

"How could we forget?" asked Drake, dryly.

"Don't be upset, you did great love!" said Lara, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Eh-hem!" coughed Joe, rather loudly.

"No point in staying here," said Kevin as they started walking down the road again.

"Yeah…" sighed Tristan.

"Don't feel too bad," said Duke. "Even if we did get your body back, we wouldn't know how to get your mind back into your body."

"Duke, do me a favor," said Tristan. "Next time you want to cheer me up, don't."

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"I have had it!" screamed Noah in the nothingness area.

The Big 5 cowered.

"Please sir, give us one more chance!" begged Johnson.

"Not only did you lose, you broke my rules!" snapped Noah.

"We are sorry, sir," pleaded Lector.

"It will never happen again, never," added Crum, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Please Master Noah, I have already won my body out of this place!" groveled Nesbit.

"Silence! All of you!" snapped Noah.

"B-but…Noah," stammered Gamesly.

"There's no buts!" yelled Noah. "I told you that this was strike three! You struck out! Now you have to pay the consequences! I won't handle disobedience from my employees!"

"Noah! No!" begged the Big 5. It would have been rather humorous to see five grown men in suits on their knees in front of a schoolboy. But the situation was too serious for laughter, and none present knew how serious it was.

"There are no more chance for you five!" said Noah in a final tone. "I think I will imprison you all in a different location in the virtual world for all eternity!"

"NO!" they screamed as Noah raised a hand to banish them.

He never got that far.

At that moment an enormous creature appeared from the shadows. She was a hybrid; half crocodile, half lion, half hippopotamus. Her huge maw was open and she was salivating. She had finally found her prey, though the chance had made her more than ravenous.

"What is this thing?!" gasped Noah, backing up. True fear showed on his face.

The Big 5 all turned around to see what had petrified them. When they saw Ammit, they all screamed.

Ammit's head shot forward and she devoured the all of Big 5 in one motion. They didn't even have proper time to scream before The Devourer consumed them.

Noah watched with wide eyes, paralyzed by fear. He could only stare at the creature, hoping she didn't come after him next. She turned a beady eye on him. Time froze for what seemed like eternity.

Then, as fast as she came, Ammit vanished. Her task was done and she had destroyed the evil she had been summoned to destroy.

It was still several long moments before Noah could move again. Then, thousands of questions filled his mind about what that creature was and how it had gotten into his universe. None of them were very reassuring. Noah didn't like it. Not only did he have no answers, but he was afraid.


	11. Noah's Challenge

Gema J. Gall: Goodie! Now that Nightmare Penguin has fulfilled his uses in the story, we get to have fun with him!

Star: Do you want me to send a recon unit in to retrieve him?

Lady Akhana: Nope, we're already on it.

DC Kantel: Yippie! Fresh meat for my piranha bunnies and vampire shadows!

Fox Demon: And my shadow foxes!

Moonlady: Umm…does someone want to stop them before they drive the prisoner mad and we loose any chance of getting information out of him?

E-100 Alpha: I would, but I want to keep all of my limbs.

Imp Is Insane: I sorta want to see the leader of the penguins in pain. giggle

Bakurakrazie: The penguin guy was right, insanity is contagious.

Pharaoh Light: Luckily we have mustard!

Pharaoh Dark: And lots of it!

Demon of Shadows: So, when will they get back with the prisoner?

Kitty Tigri: Don't tell me you want to join Demon Child and the foxes?

Dark Fox: What's wrong with that?!

Seadragon1012: I hope it means there will be a battle soon! I want some action.

Gema: First we need to plan.

Akhana: No, first we have to hide all hot cocoa from you.

Livi: Well…would there be a battle if we brought down the leader?

E-100 Alpha: Yes, because the penguins would be infuriated and attack us.

Pharaoh Dark: Yes! This would be the perfect chance to test the new security system.

Pharaoh Light: And the new weapons!

Phantom1: New Weapons? I want to see!

DC Kantel: I'm sticking with my summons.

Cloud Dragon: We all shudder…

Moonlady: They're here! They're here!

In enters Blackbelt Timmy, Diamondlance, and Master of Dimension dragging Nightmare Penguin aka Crum

Master of Dimensions: We brought him, as asked.

Blackbelt Timmy: He tried to 'resist arrest' so we had to…play hard.

Fox Demon: Yay! starts to summon shadow foxes

Livi: Eh-hem! We're supposed to question him first!

Dark Fox: We are? pout

Nightmare Penguin: You kids! Let me go! You won't get away with this!

Diamondlance: But we already have!

Group pulls out an assortment of mustard weapons

Nightmare Penguin: NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

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AN/ No, Ammit is NOT from the new Yu-Gi-Oh! movie. She is a mythical beast from real Egyptian mythology, so look her up on the web.

Noah appeared rather suddenly back in the surveillance room. Shayla was more than a bit surprised, she hadn't gotten used to his teleportation even when she suspected he was about to do it. She didn't need to be able to see to be able to sense the tension around him.

"What did that hacker friend of yours do?!" he demanded.

"Huh?" asked Shayla, a bit taken back by the question.

"What was that monster that just invaded my virtual world?!" demanded Noah.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," replied Shayla.

"You're lying! I know you know, so tell me!" demanded Noah, who was mostly angry because he had been scared.

"I can't lie," replied Shayla. "And that's the truth. The truth does not change based on who believes it and who doesn't."

"You obsession with 'truth' is getting tiring, especially since you are lying!" snapped Noah. "I don't know why you are trying to hide it, it can't be to protect your friends, after all, they've completely forgotten about you. Looks like you're no one's friend." Noah was in a rotten mood, and was now taking it out on Shayla.

"And brainwashing someone to like you is any better?" asked Shayla. "That's just sad." Noah didn't reply, a bit taken back by her response. He had expected her to be more upset, not counter with a very direct hit. "Mokuba is a really sweet kid. You can't use him like this! It's wrong!"

"Fine, don't answer my question about the hacker, I'll find out on my own!" snapped Noah. "This world is mine, and no one will toy with me here!"

"I still am not sure about the details of your connection to the Kaiba family, but I think that this form you've taken now is not your true form. However, you still act exactly like a little kid, just like a spoiled brat, even though you should be older than me, you definitely don't act like it."

"I will not be insulted like that!"

"I am simply stating facts."

"You had better learn to control your tongue, because you are going to be stuck in this virtual world with me for a long time!" snapped Noah as he vanished from the room completely.

Shayla slowly released her breath. She knew she was in trouble, and she had no idea how to get out of it. The only thing she was sure of was that she was on her own. The others had completely forgotten about her in their concern for everyone else.

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"If you think robot monkeys can't barf you're wrong," shouted monkey Tristan. Joe was holding him upside down by his feet and shaking him, causing his gears to rattle around.

"Tristan, just clam down, this could be the only way to save us from this place," replied Joe, turning him right side up.

"Torturing me is going to save us?!" yelled Tristan, desperately trying to break free of Joe's grip.

"Look, you may hold the secret to escaping form Noah's virtual world," explained Joe, perfectly calmly, which further infuriated the ape-transformee.

"Just don't do any permanent damage," said Kevin.

"Now you're back to thinking I work for Noah!? It's me! Tristan!" raged monkey Tristan.

"Everyone knows its you trapped in there dude," replied Duke, giving Joe a steady look. "But we figure that your robot body was designed by Noah it may hold some clues about how to get out of here."

"I don't think Noah would be that careless," said Drake.

"I just can't believe we are still stuck here," said Lara. "Especially after all the duels we won."

"Noah isn't going to let us out," said Duke. "So we're on our own."

"So give us some answers baboon boy!" demanded Joe, once again shaking Tristan upside down.

"Quit grabbing, there's nothing…!" protested Tristan. But before he could finished, Duke walked over and opened a hatch he had spotted on monkey Tristan's back.

"Hey! Check it out! It's a secret compartment," exclaimed Joe, now turning Tristan face down so he could examine the buttons inside. There was six of them, each labeled numerically. Joe pressed #5. "Let's try this."

Joe set Tristan on the ground. Tristan's four paws locked together and tiny wheels popped out of them. Then, as if being controlled by a remote control, Tristan started wheeling around Joe and Duke like an out of control Indianapolis driver.

"What's going on!?" screamed Tristan. "Someone stop me!"

Duke and Joe looked mildly surprised. Everyone else was trying to repress laughter.

"Let me handle this okay!" said Duke, snatching Tristan up by his neck. He flipped open the hatch again and selected a button. "Two is my lucky number."

The top of Tristan's monkey head opened and two small propellers shot out.

"Something tells me it's not mine!" yelled Tristan as he shot into the sky, screaming.

Téa had to duck as he flew straight at her. Then he turned, and started circling Yu-Gi and Serenity like a hyperactive moth circling a flame. When he came after Kevin, Kevin instinctively swatted at him. The blow connected and sent Tristan nose-diving into the desert floor.

"Monkey sleep now…" said Tristan, dazed.

"That didn't work…Maybe there's some kind of code…" said Joe, picking up Tristan again.

"Try a better number next time," complained Lara.

"Hey guys, maybe this red button is the one," said Yu-Gi, examining the buttons with Joe. He pressed #6.

"Initiating primate emergency escape sequence," said a feminine computer voice.

"I think we hit the jackpot," said Yu-Gi.

"Finally! Reality!" exclaimed Kevin.

Tristan was hunched down on the ground, staring forward. Then, his digital monkey eyes started glowing. They lit up the area in front of him like a spotlight. A large oak door fazed into existence in the light.

"Activating virtual destination matrix. Gateway revealed," said the computer voice.

"I'm starting to have second guesses about this guys," said Drake.

The door swung open on its own, enveloping everyone in a bright light. They all shielded their eyes as the desert around them dissolved entirely.

"Program complete," said the computer voice as the light faded.

They were no longer standing in a barren wasteland with no signs of civilization. Instead, they were in the middle of what could be classified as a small, high tech town. The teens were between three life-size Blue-Eyes, White Dragon statues. Directly in front of the was a large, colorful arching gateway with a big neon sign over it. But besides themselves, there was no other sign of anyone being present.

"'Kaibaland?'" read Téa. "What's that?"

"Another example of someone's ego?" volunteered Kevin.

"Oh? So this is what Kaiba is up to?" smirked Drake. "It's always good to know what the competition is planning."

"But this isn't reality," said Lara.

"What kind of emergency escape is this?" asked Duke, sounding a bit ticked.

"Maybe we have to find the exit in this place somewhere," suggested Yu-Gi.

"Yug, you're the only person I know who would find the good in being trapped in a virtual illusion of Kaiba's imagination," said Joe.

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Seto Kaiba was still exploring the backlots of the park. He was rather intrigued by the fact that he was walking in a place he had only dreamed of. He would almost come close to enjoying himself if it wasn't for the fact that his brother was in serious trouble.

_"Noah may have tried his best to create my Duel Monster's theme park, but this is just a virtual rip off. That kid is incapable of an original thought, everything in this entire virtual world is copied off of something, and most of it is stuff I have created,"_ thought Kaiba.

He walked to the back of the backlots, where an underground train track was laid. He paused there.

"Blue-Eyes, White Dragon train approaching the platform," announced a computer voice. There was a low rumble that caused the ground to tremor as a subway train shaped like a stream-line Blue-Eyes approached. "Stand behind the white line and please let all passengers off the vehicle before boarding." The doors slid open automatically, only a few feet in front of where Kaiba was standing. "Welcome to Kaibaland, please watch your step."

"At least he got this right," said Kaiba as he stepped onto the train without hesitation.

"Come in and stand clear of the closing doors," said the computer. The doors slid shut behind him.

_"This train had better lead me to Mokuba,"_ thought Kaiba, taking a seat and crossing his arms. The train sped away from the platform and into a dark, underground tunnel.

"May I have your attention please," said Noah's voice, over the PA. Seto's eyes narrowed. "All passengers who have stolen family empires from their rightful owners listen carefully."

"Noah," grumbled Kaiba, looking crosser.

"Prepare to exit at the next stop," said Noah, though it was an order, not a request.

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Noah turned to Mokuba. He had returned to the living room after his argument with Shayla. Now he and Mokuba were sitting on the couch, watching the group from the screen. Though it was more like Noah was watching and Mokuba was staring blankly ahead.

"Don't believe a word he's saying," Noah told Mokuba.

Mokuba's eyes pulsed red slightly. "Yes sir, not a word. You're my only brother Noah." Noah put an arm around him and smiled evilly up at the screen, watching Seto Kaiba.

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"It looks like some type of Duel Monsters amusement park," commented Yu-Gi as the group roamed the empty grounds.

"Remind me never to waste my money here," said Joe.

"Kaiba is going to have some major copyright issues if he plans on opening this place without talk with Industrial Illusions," said Drake.

"Don't worry, it's just a virtual park," said Kevin. "Gosh I miss reality…"

"We'll be getting out of here soon," said Téa. "There has to be an exit around here somewhere."

"Hey, where is Tristan?" asked Serenity, looking around.

Monkey Tristan was wheeling his way right into the restricted section of Kaibaland, which Seto Kaiba had left wide open. Tristan was no longer in control of his robotic body, the computer program had taken over.

"There he goes!" exclaimed Joe, pointing.

"Now what?" groaned Lara.

"Follow him!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, running.

"As long as we don't have to go back to the stairway room," said Drake as everyone else started running.

"Slow down, will you robo-chimp!?" yelled Joe.

"He's fast for a midget!" exclaimed Kevin.

At that moment monkey Tristan stopped and wheeled around to face them. "Halt, intruder alert. Intruder alert. Intruder Alert," said a new, lower computer voice. "Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to enter."

"Forbidden to enter?" echoed Kevin.

"The exit might be here!" exclaimed Téa.

"Halt, intruder alert. Intruder alert. Intruder Alert," repeated the computer voice. "Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to enter."

"And just how are you going to stop us you little metal twerp?" asked Joe.

"You have been warned intruder," said monkey Tristan. He raised his front paws. The hands rolled back and two guns took their place. He aimed them at the teens.

"Thanks for the warning!" yelled Joe, who was already running. He clobbered the miniature monkey, sending it flying into the wall. Téa and Serenity gave him the same look they had given him when he attacked Nesbit in Tristan's body in the warehouse district.

"Hey Tristan? You okay?" asked Serenity, walking over to him.

"What's going on?" asked Tristan, shaking his head. He had no idea he had been overridden in his own computer body.

"Maybe it's better you don't know," commented Téa.

"Come on girls!" called Drake. The rest of the group was running ahead.

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Kaiba was still riding in the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon train, slowly simmering as he continued to think about everything Noah had done and all the danger Mokuba could be in.

"Attention you fool," said Noah. "You are now leaving Kaibaland."

A large, dark hole appeared in the tunnel, though it was hard to discern from the darkness around it. The train shot right into it. Tracks that had no been there before materialized as the train continued on. Kaiba looked out of the window. The train was now a story off of the ground. The ground looked like the inside of Mt. Saint Helen. Lava pits darted the landscape in all possible directions. Several rocky platforms rose out of the molten rocks. On one of the large ones, Noah was standing, watching the train's arrival.

"Welcome to your final destination…for eternity," said Noah. The train stopped and Kaiba got out, glaring daggers at Noah. "Don't mind the lava pits below, the molten rock is only 2000 degrees." The train continued on and vanished out of sight.

"Noah…" Kaiba started, his hands clenching into fists.

"Ah, right on schedule Seto," continued Noah, smirking. "Please watch your step. I wouldn't want you to burn to smithereens before our duel."

"Look, I want my brother back right now! You cowardly little runt!" yelled Kaiba, who was on a rocky mesa about fifty feet from Noah.

"He's my brother now," replied Noah.

"Noah, watch what you say," said Kaiba, raw fury tainting his tone.

"Mokuba hates you!" snapped Noah. "He'll be much better off when I scatter your mind throughout cyberspace!"

"That will be merciful compared to what I have planned for you!" Kaiba shot back.

"You won't be around much longer, Seto!" growled Noah. "And it's time for me to do what I've been waiting to do for years! Time to prove to myself and prove to my father that I am superior to you in every single way!"

"If you're so great, why I am the president of Kaiba Corp.?" retorted Seto.

"Because of an unfortunate twist that never should have happened," answered Noah. "I'm about to correct that mistake. Gozaburo Kaiba is my father, not yours! He always intended to pass his company on to me!"

"Keep dreaming kid"

"It's true!" shouted Noah.

"Who are you?" demanded Kaiba. "I saw your home movies." Noah seemed a bit surprised by this information. "And you owe me some explanations!"

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Kaiba wasn't the only one who had found the home movies. The rest of the group had just stumbled across them as well. They had crowded around the ancient projector and were watching with curious amusement.

"What's all this?" asked Yu-Gi as the scenes kept changing.

"Beats me…" replied Joe.

"I want some popcorn," complained Kevin.

"Listen, they're talking about Noah," said Téa, hushing them so she could hear better. "This must be some kind of old home movie."

The happy scenes suddenly gave way to the somber scene at the church.

"They look pretty upset," commented Yu-Gi.

"That's Gozaburo?" asked Lara.

"What are they down about?" wondered Joe.

"If we're going to save him we have to act fast," came Gozaburo's voice from the projected.

"Save him? Sounds to me like Noah was in some sort of accident," commented Téa.

"You might be right, but what does all this have to do with this virtual place?" asked Drake.

"It isn't a clue about the exit, that's for sure," replied Duke.

"And I'm no closer to getting my body back," complained Tristan.

"Yes, we have to keep looking for the Kaibas and Tristan's body," said Serenity.

"Yeah, let's get going," agreed Yu-Gi.

They reentered the main hall of the restricted area of Kaibaland and spread out a bit, looking for anything that might help them. They didn't have to wait long.

"Hey guys, I found something!" called monkey Tristan. He was standing in the back, looking down at the subway tracks. "Check it out, train tracks."

"Huh?" asked the group as they filtered over.

"Don't tell me you guys are thinking of following those tracks," said Téa.

"Better than following bear tracks," joked Kevin.

"Have any other ideas? We have to find Kaiba and Mokuba, get my body back, and get out of here," said monkey Tristan. He jumped down onto the tracks. "So come on."

"Let's go," agreed Yu-Gi.

"Do you think it's safe to walk around on those?" asked Lara. "We don't know what might be coming."

"Don't worry, trains are always late," replied Duke.

"Still, maybe we should wait for it," commented Téa.

"How do we even know there is a train?" asked Kevin. "Nothing works normally in this world."

"Let's not stand around all day talking about it," said Joe.

"Who needs a train when you've got one of these babies!?" called Tristan. He had scrambled a bit of a ways and was jumping up and down on an old wooden mining trolley that was half hidden in a fork in the tracks.

"Nice score Tristan!" cheered Joe

-x-x-x-x-x-

The group had quickly piled onto the trolley. Duke and Drake were at the teeter-totter like pump, urging the vehicle to pick up speed. They were now buzzing down the tunnel. It seemed fast because they had no walls to shield them from the wind, but it was barely even half the speed of the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon train.

"What do you say we slow down a bit?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Are you kidding me? Speed up you wimps!" exclaimed Tristan,

"Easy for you to say, Mr. My-arms-are-too-short-to-drive," replied Drake.

"Want me to take over?" asked Joe.

"NO!" exclaimed most of the group.

"You aren't allowed to operate any vehicles after the incident with the truck!" snapped Duke.

"Guys, I really think we should slow down," said Serenity.

"You do know where the brakes are, right?!" cried Téa, tightening her grip around the base of the pump. They had come to a slight downhill incline and were picking up speed faster than ever.

"Yeah! Anyone ever see one of these things before?!" asked Yu-Gi, who had dug his fingers into the cracks between the boards.

"Not me," replied Lara, who was gripping Drake's legs.

"In TV once," commented Joe. He had one arm around Serenity, and the other was gripping the side of the trolley.

"This is real life, Joe!" yelled Téa.

"Well, I wouldn't call this real, this is only a virtual world," replied Kevin, who was clutching the base with her.

"This looks like a brake," commented Joe, reaching for a lever that was just a little to his left. He started to pull up on it.

"Wait!" cried Duke, who was still sore from being thrown several yards out of the back of a truck.

There was a loud screeching noise and sparks started to fly from the back of the vehicle. Slowly and gradually the trolley began to slow down. The lights in the tunnel were not flickering passed as quickly.

"Hey, it's working!" exclaimed Joe.

"Do you mean you did something right for once?" asked Tristan, who was holding onto the metal bar around the brake's lever.

SNAP! The sparks stopped. The metallic screech was replaced by the sound of metal falling to the tracks and rolling away. Everyone's eyes suddenly doubled in size.

"How cliché! The brakes broke!" cried Lara.

The group screamed as the trolley plummeted into the darkness with no way to stop it.

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"You want the truth, Seto?" asked Noah. "Are you sure you can handle it? Well, you won't be here much longer anyways, so what's the harm?" He shrugged. "It's true; I haven't aged in years. In fact, this isn't really me. The real Noah is up there." He pointed up into the sky. "Behold your true step-brother." A large glowing sphere was coming through the clouds, almost like a mini-sun. But as the light faded from it, it was clear it was not at all like the sun. It was a metal sphere, almost like the inside of a computer wrapped into a ball.

"Explain yourself!" demanded Seto.

"That giant metal sphere above us is a shell to protect my living brain," answered Noah. He then started laughing insanely.

"Did you say your brain's up there?!" gaped Kaiba.

"That's right," said Noah. "It's hardwired to a computer that projects a virtual image of me. But things weren't always that way."

Kaiba didn't reply. He finally managed to tear his gaze away from the sky and leveled an icy glare on Noah. Noah ignored that and continued talking.

"I used to be a normal kid, a normal kid who had everything. As the only child of a multi-millionaire I was afforded every luxury known to man. My father's servants waited on me hand and foot. I was groomed for success from the time I could walk. Mathematicians and scientists from around the world lined up for the chance to teach me, the son of the world's most powerful man. Musicians, champion athletes, they were all lured to our front door by my father, Gozaburo Kaiba, with the sole purpose of raising me into a well-educated, well-rounded, future president of Kaiba Corp.."

Noah paused for a moment, sizing up Kaiba for his reaction. If the aqua-haired boy was expecting much emotion out of Kaiba, he was in for a disappointment. Kaiba's icy glare had not changed one iota.

"So you see, Seto, it was me who was destined to rule my father's company, not you, and I would have, had it not of been for a freak accident. What happened to me is of little importance." He waved his hand dismissively, as if he was trying to dismiss it from his own mind. "The point is, my body was rendered useless. But my mind was still as sharp as ever. So my father used his company's cutting edge technology to save me. He linked my mind to a central computer, transforming my brainwaves into magnetic pulses; every part of my mind was digitized and downloaded into a mainframe computer. It was the end of y former life and the beginning of my new life."

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Shayla sat, listening, because there was nothing else she could do. Her hands had gripped her backpack tightly, to keep them from shaking. It was harder for her to act like she wasn't afraid when no one else was around. Everything that Noah said was only helping to unnerve her more. That added to the stress that everyone else was in danger of a serious crash was causing her nerves to tie into knots again.

"Noah is completely a brat," Shayla said to herself. "He is also completely insane…but the worse part is…he is completely telling the truth…I am in so much trouble…"

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"Soon after that you came along," continued Noah. "Originally father adopted you to motivate and challenge me, as part of my training to take over Kaiba Corp.. But that was no longer possible. I was extremely powerful in cyber space, but with no body of my own, I couldn't serve as the future president of my father's company. Until now!"

"Why now?" asked Seto, coldly.

I exist as only as a digital file in a super computer built by my father, but as soon as I defeat you in a duel, proving once for all that I should be running Kaiba Corp. I'll upload my mind into your body. Then I'll fulfill my father's wishes by taking over the company," answered Noah, smiling rather evilly.

Kaiba looked him over for a second, then burst into laughter. It wasn't good-natured laughter, or even laughter that comes from enjoyment. It was a cold laugh. "You expect me to believe that? Noah, please. The only think more ridiculous than that story is you out-dueling me."

"Let's go," said Noah, holding out an arm so a duel disk could form on it. "There's no better way to prove my power over you then by defeating you at your own pathetic game."

"I've heard enough! Is that clear?!" growled Kaiba. "I rebuilt Kaiba Corp. from the ground up on my own terms, with no help at all." He true mood, anger, was showing through without any barriers. "That company is what it is because of me! No one else could run it! Especially not some kid!"

"Really?" asked Noah. The lava in front of them suddenly shot into the air like a geyser. Kaiba suspected it was Noah showing off. However, both duelists remained perfectly calm.

"I'll show you real power! Let's go!" snapped Kaiba, activating his duel disk. It swung around his arm and clicked into place.

"All right, then choose your cards Seto."

"I already have!" retorted Kaiba. "And I've already chosen my Deck Master." He picked a card out of his deck. "Say hello to my friend, Kaiser Seahorse!" His Deck Master was blue and violet colored. It looked like a knight that had been given armor shaped off of a Seahorse.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting, Seto," said Noah, as if he was savoring the moment. "Time to lose it all! "

"Let's duel!" they both said.

"I'll go first and now…" said Noah, drawing his hand.

_"His first mistake was taking Mokuba, his second was challenging me, the fool,"_ though Kaiba, venomously. "Let's see what you got 'step-brother.'"

"With pleasure!"

"Enough talk, I'm going first!"

"Always with the demands, Seto."

Kaiba glared at him and put one card on his duel disk. "I summon Giant Germ to the field in attack mode!" His viral monster appeared in front of him in a small flash of light. It wasn't a very attractive monster to begin with. Things that got killed crossing the highway look better. It's attack was 1000. "Then I play this card face down."

_"This kid is in way over his head,"_ thought Kaiba. _"As soon as he attacks me, I'll activate my Crush Card and infect his entire deck. This duel will be over soon and I'll win Mokuba back."_

"Then I summon Kiron the Mage to the field!" announced Noah. His first monster appeared. It was a human monster, wearing gold and violet robes and carrying a large staff. Its attack was 1800.

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The teens were still screaming and clinging to each other as the out-of-control trolley continued to vault down the subway tracks. They had no way of knowing how far they had gone, or what was coming ahead. It was all they could do to hold on, let alone prevent a collision.

"This can't be good!" exclaimed Joe.

"You are never allowed to touch a vehicle again!" snapped Drake.

"I'm going to be sick," moaned Duke.

"I am sick…" said Lara, who was looking a little green.

"I think I left my stomach back at that last turn," complained Téa.

"Just hang on guys!" called Yu-Gi.

"What's that?!" gasped Kevin as a spot of light directly in front of them began to grow with increasing speed.

"I don't…" started Serenity.

She never got to finish. Suddenly, the trolley was engulfed in a bright light. The tracks fell away. A large hole opened up and the trolley shot through it. The group was airborne. The screaming was renewed as they all felt briefly weightless for a second before the trolley came crashing down. It shattered when it hit the rocks below, leaving the duelists bruised in new places. They slowly began to stir, trying to shake of the adrenaline from the ride. They were on a small rocky platform surrounded by lava. Two other duelists watched them; one amused, one surprised.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Yu-Gi, struggling to his feet.

"Define 'alright,'" said Joe, nursing his right arm.

"I'm alive, if that's what you mean…" said Duke.

"I don't think I have room for any more bruises," complained Lara as Drake helped her to her feet.

"Hey look!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, who had been visually exploring the area that they had landed.

"Where are we?" asked Serenity.

"Beats me. But I don't think we're in Kaibaland any more," answered Téa.

"I haven't seen this place before…" said Kevin.

"Hey, look over there guys," said Drake, pointing to the duel in progress.

"Kaiba versus Noah!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"No way!" exclaimed Joe.

"It's about time that twerp started to grow a backbone," commented Drake.

"Two jerks dueling, this ought to be interesting," said Kevin.

"Be careful Kaiba!" called Yu-Gi.

"Yu-Gi…" growled Kaiba.

"Looks like the fan club has arrived," said Noah, nonchalantly. "And just in time to witness your last duel, Seto, and my rebirth into the real world as the new leader of Kaiba Corp.."

"Oh no! He can't let Noah win!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"Should we care?" asked Kevin.

"If Kaiba wins, we're stuck with him. If Noah wins, we have to put up with that brat. I can't decide what's worse…" said Lara.

"Come on guys! He's trying to help his brother!" exclaimed Serenity.

Noah and Seto had turned their attention back to duel, ignoring whatever snide comments the new arrivals had to make.

"I now activate Mirror of Truth!" declared Noah. "This card let's me reveal one of your face down cards and destroy it! And my choice should be obvious, even to you Seto, because you only have one card face down!"

A strong zephyr picked up the face down Crush Card and flipped it up. It lingered there for a moment before it was blown to atoms.

"Crush Card, I see, you were trying to infect my deck," said Noah. "Well, you failed! And now, Kiron, attack his Giant Germ!"

The mage raised its staff. Bright, swirling energy cumulated there for a moment, before rushing forward and obliterating the Giant Germ. Kaiba raised an arm to shield himself from the blast. However, his life points were still effected, dropping his down to 3200.

"The good thing about my Giant Germ, it makes a quick recovery," said Kaiba. The bits of the Giant Germ hadn't even vanished before they pulled together again, forming a new Giant Germ.

"That was close…" said Joe.

"He still lost life points, though," said Serenity.

"He's not the only one! Look!" exclaimed Duke. Noah's life point counter was moving too, stopping him at 3500 life points.

"What happened?!" gasped Noah.

"That would be Giant Germ's second special ability," said Kaiba with a small smirk. "but now I tribute my Giant Germ to summon Vampire Lord!" His new monster had hair the same color as Noah's. Its skin was a very pale violet color. It wore a violet outfit with red trim, complete with cape. Two point fangs stuck over its lips. Its stats were 2000 and 1500.

"I thought he was supposed to be a dragon duelist," commented Kevin.

"You want a true dragon duelist, that would be me," said Drake. "And unlike someone else here, I actually have manners."

"That last part is definitely true," agreed Kevin.

"Now, Vampire Lord, attack Kiron the Mage!" ordered Kaiba. Vampire Lord spread it's wing-like cape and numerous bats materialized and flew around Kiron, sending it to the graveyard. The vampire was starting to infringe on Myotismon copyrights. As Kiron was eliminated, Noah's life points dropped to 3300.

"Since I did damage to your life points, Vampire Lord's special ability is activated," Seto. "One of the cards from your deck is sent directly to the graveyard, Noah."

Noah shrugged and slid one card into his graveyard.

"That fanged freak won't be causing me any more trouble," said Noah. "Because I activate the magic card Fissure! That magic card destroys your weakest monster, and since you only have one, your Vampire Lord is sent to the graveyard where it belongs!"

Kaiba said nothing as his monster disappeared from the field via a large hole in the ground that had formed under its feet.

"Kaiba has no monsters guarding his life points!" gasped Téa. "That's bad!"

"So we're cheering for Kaiba?" asked Duke.

"He's the lesser of two evils," said Kevin, at length.

"I summon Aerith to the field!" announced Noah. "Now, attack Seto's life points directly!" His newest monster charged forward, right over the lava pit. Kaiba cringed back a bit as the monster attacked him. He lost life points equal to Aerith's attack, 1800, bring him down to 1400 life points. "I play this card face down and end my turn."

"Go Kaiba!" cheered Yu-Gi.

"Show that little green-haired twerp who's boss!" added Joe.

"I guess we're cheering for Kaiba…" said Lara, slowly.

"Yeah, Kaiba can't lose until I duel him," replied Drake.

"You're going to have to wait," said Kevin. "I want to take him down first."

Noah was laughing. "This duel is almost over! I have over double the amount of life points you do!"

"You'll never get away with this Noah," growled Kaiba. "I'd rather see my company crumble to the ground than fall into your grubby little hands. Kaiba Corp. is mine! You got that punk?"

"You stole it! I'm just taking back what belongs to me!" yelled Noah.

"Keep dreaming kid!" retorted Kaiba. As he spoke, his Vampire Lord rose out of the earth. "One thing about vampires; they don't die. My Vampire Lord will return at the start of every turn because of its special ability, Immortality."

"All right, I never thought that I'd be routing for Kaiba! Let's go, rich-boy!" called Joe.

"Yeah! Crush his so we can get out of here!" added Duke.

"And get my body back!" added Tristan, which was hardly intelligible from the monkey noises he was making.

"I can't be beat. We're in my world and I make the rules," said Noah, glaring across the field.

"Listen, you may think that you created this Virtual World, punk, but all you did was rip off my system," replied Kaiba, coldly.

"That's sad when you're ripping off something Kaiba made," said Drake.

"What else would you expect from a brat like that?" asked Lara.

"I now summon Slate Warrior to the field!" announced Seto. His fiend appeared beside his Vampire Lord. Slate Warrior's stats were 1900 and 400. "Vampire Lord, attack his monster!"

"Not so fast! I activate Earthshaker!" countered Noah.

"Earthshaker?" asked Serenity.

"Just watch," said Drake. "That card can be trouble."

"First, I select two monster types, then you chose one of the two and all monsters of that type on the field are destroyed," said Noah.

"I know what it does," glowered Kaiba.

"Then you should know what two types I'm going to chose," said Noah, eyeing up Kaiba's two monsters. "I chose fiend and zombie! Now you have to pick one of those and those monsters will be destroyed." He laughed. "Either way, you'll be destroying one of your own monsters!"

_"If I chose fiend, I lose my Slate Warrior, but if I chose zombie, I lose my Vampire Lord,"_ thought Kaiba, considering his options. "I chose zombie!"

The ground began to shake violently, causing the lava pits to ripple, wave, and crash dangerously close to those present. The Vampire Lord was once more swallowed by the earth.

"Why did he do that?" asked Duke. "That was his stronger monster!"

"Because Vampire Lord will return at the start of his next turn," replied Yu-Gi.

"I get it," said Joe. "He actually planned to do that. Kaiba may be a pain in the butt, but he knows how to play Duel Monsters."

"Slate Warrior, attack Aerith!" ordered Kaiba. His remaining monster charged forward, slicing Noah's warrior in half. The loss cost Noah 100 life points, bringing him down to 3200.

Noah looked up from shielding himself from the attack. "I activate Giant Flood!"

"What does that do Yug?" asked Joe.

"Better question, what's that?!" gasped Kevin.

A wall of water was rising in the distance and fast approaching them.

"It's a tidal wave!" gasped Tristan.

"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Joe.

"We can't!" protested Téa. They were stuck on a rock island in the middle of a lake of lava. The tsunami was bearing down on them.

"Brace yourselves!" exclaimed Drake, who had thrown his arms protectively around Lara.

The wave crashed, submerging the entire magma-covered area for a moment. Everyone held their breath and tried not to be swept away as the water rushed around them. The water receded. The land had colored, making the area look like it had been hit with a small meteor show. Some places were still steaming, and craters spotted the landscape.

"I'm going to rust," complained Tristan.

"That little punk knows exactly how to make himself annoying," grumbled Lara.

"Anyone got a towel?" asked Téa.

"I never did tell you what my Deck Master was, Seto," said Noah. He held his hands up and a large wooden boat rose out of the small lake that lingered behind him.

"That boat is your Deck Master?!" gasped Kaiba.

"Yes, and now watch as I activate one of its special abilities," said Noah. All the monsters from both graveyards, as well as Kaiba's Slate Warrior were bobbing into the boat. It had opened a large hatch in the front and the Duel Monsters drifted inside. The boat then sealed itself up.

"Are you wondering what happened to all your monsters?" asked Noah, grinning.

"It crossed my mind," replied Kaiba, dryly.

"From now on every monster that is sent to the graveyard will be rerouted and sent into Shinato's Ark," said Noah. "There it will remain a passenger until I need it."

"What does that mean, Joe?" asked Serenity.

"I don't know," said Joe.

"I don't think it's legal," said Kevin.

"Not according to any of the rule we made," glowered Drake.

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"How ironic," said Shayla to herself. "Noah chose an ark for his Deck Master. There's only one problem. Shinato's Ark isn't a monster! It's a ritual magic card! I don't know what Noah is trying to pull, but there is no way that can be right, not even according to his own twisted rules. This duel needs a ref, badly. I know my scales would be acting up if I was there…If I was there, I could probably help… Being stuck here is all my fault…"

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Kaiba started laughing, which further annoyed Noah.

"You find this funny?" asked Noah, his eyes narrowing.

"I find you pathetic," chortled Kaiba. "Thanks to Giant Flood you have no monsters on the field or in your hand."

"How does Kaiba know if Noah has monsters in his hand or not?" asked Duke.

"Because Giant Flood also effects each player's hand," said Drake. "It completely clears the in-play field of monsters."

"Spear Dragon!" announced Kaiba. His blue dragon appeared. It bellowed once, raising its pointed snout to the sky. Its attack was 1900 while its defense was 0. "Attack his life points directly with Cyclone Blast!"

"Ha!" laughed Noah. A ball of light shot out of the ark. It stopped directly in front of Noah and took a form, that of Kaiba's Vampire Lord, crouched down in defense mode with its cape closed around itself. Spear Dragon's attack nailed the Vampire Lord, disintegrating it.

"What was that?!" demanded Kaiba.

"That is another special ability of Shinato's Ark," said Noah. "I can summon any monster on board to protect my life points!"

"No way!" gasped the group.

"He has got to be making this up!" exclaimed Lara.

"You still lost life points, thanks to Spear Dragon's special ability," said Kaiba as Noah lost 500 the difference in Spear Dragon's attack and Vampire Lord's defense.

"You're forgetting one thing, Seto," said Noah. "We're dueling in my world and I control everything around us."

The boat rose several feet out of the small lake. Then, all of the residual water in the craters just disappeared. It wasn't like it evaporated rapidly; it simply ceased to exist. Grass grew over the rocky landscape. Grass turned into flowers, flowers turned into bushes, and bushes turned into trees. Within a mater of moments the landscape had been transformed into a lush forest.

Kaiba's blue eyes darted around frantically, ready for anything, ready for any kind of danger. Everyone else was staring, a bit awe-bounded.

"What, are you feeling frustrated because you finally realize that I'm more intelligent than you?" Noah asked Kaiba, pointing to the metal sphere which was still in the sky.

"Not even in a false reality are you smarter than me," shot Kaiba.

"What is that thing?" asked Kevin, staring at the sky.

"I thought you were supposed to be the expert about this place," said Duke.

"I haven't seen anything like that before," replied Kevin.

"Ditto here," agreed Joe. "What's Noah trying to pull this time?"

"It won't be good for us, whatever it is," said Drake.

"My intellect is limitless!" Noah snapped at Seto. "The super computer that houses my brain has an endless amount of databases incorporated into it!

"What's he mean by that?" asked Yu-Gi.

"It sounds like Noah's brain is up there," said Téa, eyeing the sphere warily.

"That database has been growing every day since I arrived!" Noah continued. "I've absorbed facts and figures for six years. I am the smartest person alive. You don't stand a chance, Seto. Soon I will escape this virtual prison and take over Kaiba Corp. like I was always meant to! And my intelligence will allow me to run it ten times better than you ever could!"

"Pity all those smarts fail to give you wit, charm, or charisma!" shouted Lara.

"What a brat," commented Téa.

"Noah needs a good kick in the seat of his pants," added Joe.

"But one thing was missing," continued Noah, ignoring their comments.

"What was that?" asked Kaiba.

"The one thing I was never able to achieve as a human, my father's trust," replied Noah.

"That's sort of sad…" said Yu-Gi.

"Come on, don't tell me you are starting to pity Noah, after all he's done to us," said Duke.

A loud bellow vibrated the landscape.

"What was that?!" gasped Serenity.

"Look!" exclaimed Kevin, pointing to a large reptile that was lurking a patch of lush ferns.

"A dinosaur?! This is just like that demo!" gasped Joe.

"Now to summon a monster appropriate for this environment. Meet my Giant Rex!" yelled Noah. A dinosaur type monster appeared in front of him. This monster was primarily orange. It had a large orange and violet fin running down its back. It stood hunched over on its back legs. Its attack was 2000.

"Giant Rex, attack his Spear Dragon!" ordered Noah. The dinosaur roared and attacked the Spear Dragon with its teeth and claws. The dragon disappeared. Since it's special effect moved it to defense mode, Kaiba lost no life points.

Kaiba started laughing again. It wasn't a good-natured laugh, it was the same cold laugh as before, the laugh that was designed to provoke.

"I missed the joke," glared Noah

"Behind your 'super human intellect' is nothing but a spoiled little brat," retorted Kaiba.

"Is that so?" asked Noah, his eyes narrowing.

"For your entire life people just handed things to you," said Seto. "But I had to work for what I have. Kaiba Corp. is mine because I earned it. And the fact that you think you can take it away from me by winning one duel proves what I thought about you from the start."

"And what's that?"

"You're nuts! You've spent one too many years trapped in that bubble in the sky."

"So, you think I'm insane for wanting to claim what's rightfully mine?"

"I think you're insane for trapping mine inside a virtual computer system and forcing me to duel you, to prove to your daddy you're not the failure he thinks you are," countered Kaiba. "Well, I'm here to prove that you are! There's a reason why I'm in charge of Kaiba Corp. and you're not."

"Why's that?!" demanded Noah, anger flaring in his tone.

"Because I'm the best man for the job! I'm more fit to run that company than you'll ever be! Deep down your father always knew that!" argued Kaiba.

"This is getting way too weird," said Téa.

"I don't believe they're arguing about that," said Duke.

"I do," said Drake. "They're both more hard headed than a brick wall."

xFlashbackx

Noah was laying his bedroom. He bolted up from the bed, a scared look on his face. He looked around, trying to calm himself down.

"I must have been sleeping for days, last I remember I was in the hospital," he said to himself. He double-checked his surroundings. It all seemed familiar. "Wait a sec! Maybe it was all just a dream! Father!" He leapt out of bed happily and raced for the door. But when he tried to open the door, the knob wouldn't turn. "Hey, what's going on. I'm locked in! Father! Hello!" He started pounding on the door.

The answer he got was like nothing he could have expected. A large screen rolled down from the left-hand wall. Noah watched it, surprised mingled with confusion. Gozaburo's image appeared on the screen. Behind him was one of the developing labs at Kaiba Corp..

"Huh? What's that?" asked Noah, walking over cautiously. "Father! I had the weirdest dream! I was in the hospital and everyone was…"

Gozaburo looked down and sadly shook his head.

"Huh?" asked Noah.

"I'm afraid it wasn't a dream," answered Gozaburo. "There was an accident…and you were in bad shape. Your body's gone, son."

"But how?!" gasped Noah.

"My team of scientists and researchers tried to save you but nothing they did would help. So it turned to my technicians and computer engineers and they found a solution," said Gozaburo. There wasn't a lot of sympathy in his tone. In fact, he sounded completely emotionless, as if he was simply stating facts that weren't connected to him.

"W-w-what do you mean?" asked Noah, who now sounded afraid and confused. He slid to his knees.

"You'll understand in time," said Gozaburo.

Noah looked like he was about to cry. But he heard something from his left. A small brown puppy was barking happily and wagging his tail, looking up at Noah with bright dark eyes.

"I created this dog for you son, you and he exist in a different way from the rest of us," said Gozaburo.

Noah started an explanation for the duelists. "I soon discovered the meaning of my father's words. He created a new world for me to live in," said Noah.

The scene changed, he was now walking in a virtual park. All the people he passed smiled and greeted him by name.

"But this world was far from perfect," narrated Noah.

Noah from the past walked up to an ice cream vendor. "Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, I know it's your favorite," she said with a bright smile.

"No thanks, not today," said Noah, looking over the menu.

"Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, I know it's your favorite," repeated the vendor. "Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, I know it's your favorite."

"The virtual environment I lived in was full of glitches. I knew some improvements needed to be made," narrated Noah.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Happy birthday son. I trust you enjoyed your trip to Mars?" asked Gozaburo. They were once again talking in Noah's room, via the gigantic screen. Noah was still wearing an astronaut suit from the experience.

"Yup. It was by far the greatest birthday I've ever gotten, father. How many kids can say they've been to Mars?" replied Noah with a smile. "Of course, the whole thing was just a virtual experience in my mind." He tapped his forehead with his pointer finger.

"I soon noticed a change in my father's attitude toward me," narrated Noah to the duelists.

"Hold on a second, we can't celebrate without Sam," said Noah from the past, bending down and picking up the puppy. But its fuzzy brown head was now covered in a spiky silver mask.

"What on earth is that?" gasped Gozaburo. "Noah, explain."

"I just altered it's programming. I got bored, so I decided to reengineer Sam into a robot," said Noah. Gozaburo gasped. "And that's not all. I've been working on a few other projects that you might be interested in. I figured out how to improve the capabilities of the Virtual World you created for me. All we have to do is connect our computer network to other systems all around the world."

"I see, and you thought of this little plan all by yourself?" asked Gozaburo. He didn't sound happy at all. "I must say, for the first time I'm impressed."

"That's it, I'm cleaning out Industrial Illusion's entire database when I get back," said Drake, crossing his arms.

"That Gozaburo is an even bigger jerk than Noah," muttered Lara.

"You'd be surprised how much I've learned," continued Noah from the past, the flashback conversation continuing regardless of what the spectators said.

"I can see you've come a long way," said Gozaburo, monotone.

"So, do I have what it takes to run Kaiba Corp. one day?" asked Noah, happily.

Gozaburo made an undistinguishable noise in the back of his throat.

"Is that a yes?" asked Noah, smiling. "You do have to admit that this virtual existence had done wonders for my intellect. I'm the perfect candidate to take over this company."

Gozaburo had already turned and was walking away with his back to his son. "Let's ah…discuss this further some time in the near future."

xEnd Flashbackx

"But that discussion never happened," said Noah, tersely. "Soon father began focusing all his attention on his new family." He narrowed his eyes on his step-brother. "As for me, my father began to visit less and less, and finally he choose to ignore me completely. He didn't believe that Kaiba Corp. could be run properly by a virtual president."

"Noah, Gozaburo didn't give up on you because of your virtual state, I think he knew that no matter how much knowledge you gained, you'd always be a spoiled brat, expecting to get ahead in the world without making any effort at all," said Kaiba, coldly. "As despicable as your father was, he knew the value of hard work. It was his own determination for power that got him where he was. And as much as it pained him to admit it, Gozaburo knew that I was the best man for the job of Kaiba Corp. president. And as for you Noah, his real son (Kaiba pointed to the metallic orb in the sky) you were better off isolated in a computer world out of everyone's way!"

Now it was Noah's turn to laugh provokingly. "That could quite possibly be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Come on now, my father wanting you to be president?"

"Why do you think he created that digital dump for you? You were in the way," said Kaiba in his favorite tone.

"You actually believe my father put me here to focus his attention on you? Seto, you always thought you were top. Of the three Kaiba brothers, you're the low man on the totem pole," countered Noah.

"You're confused Noah, that's your slot," replied Kaiba.

"Why don't we ask Mokuba what he thinks?" asked Noah, smirking. "Shall we?"

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Mokuba was watching the duel as well, staring blankly at the screen from the virtual living room. On an invisible command from Noah, he stood up, his eyes pulsing red.

"Help Noah," said Mokuba in a dazed voice. A large oak door materialized behind the couch and Mokuba started walking towards it. "My one true brother…"

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_"The more and more I hear, the more and more I am convinced Gozaburo Kaiba isn't worth all of this grief,"_ thought Shayla. _"I wouldn't want respect from someone like that. Hmm…Even without the Millennial Scales, I'd be convinced Kaiba and Noah were related. Their egos give it away." _

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"Enough of this nonsense!" snapped Kaiba. "I activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards! Then I activate my Deck Master's special ability!"

"I wonder what his Deck Master does…" said Duke.

"Kaiser Seahorse lets me summon a light monster for once less tribute. So, I can summon my Different Dimension Dragon without sacrificing a monster!" His newest dragon appeared in front of him. It had a snake-like body with four wing-like projections. Its head ended with four points as well. It wavered through the air like water. Its stats were 1200 and 1500.

"I then play these three cards face down," said Kaiba, sliding three cards into slots on his duel disk.

"What's Kaiba thinking? Noah's dino can blast Kaiba's dragon into the Stone Age like last time," asked Joe. "Noah can win this duel his next turn! Not good."

"Kaiba's no fool, I'm sure those face down cards are part of his plan to win this," said Yu-Gi.

"Different Dimension Dragon also has summon special abilities I wonder if Noah knows about," added Drake.

"I don't think I could stand it if Noah wins, so Kaiba had better have a plan," said Duke.

"What an amateur move Seto," said Noah. "You're just going to make it easy on me. Now I can prove once for all that I am superior to you!"

"Just try!" snapped Seto.

"Fine, I activate the card Deepest Impact!" declared Noah. That cut both of their life points in half, bringing Noah down to 1400 and Kaiba down to 700.

The sky above began to toss and turn a deep violet color. Comets began to fall from the sky, once again covering the land in craters. The teens gasped and some even screamed as they tried to avoid the falling fireballs. The Giant Rex bellowed as the meteorites crashed around it.

"Scientists say it was a comet that brought the end to the dinosaurs and brought in the Ice Age," said Noah. "So I think it is only fitting that I activate Ice Age Panic!"

The now smoldering, destroyed forest was instantly frozen. Ice covered all the remaining trees and built up over the stones. Glaciers formed. Snow began to fall and a cold, tearing wind began to blow. This caused everyone to shudder and huddle together for warmth.

"This is getting weird. Call me crazy, but if you ask me that boy ain't right in the head," said Joe.

"You're not the crazy one," said Kevin, looking at Noah.

Ice also built up on the monsters on the field, freezing them solid. They burst into data bits.

"Such is the price to pay for advancement," said Noah, dismissing the loss.

"Duel Monsters deserve more respect that that!" snapped Yu-Gi. "You can't merely destroy them at a whim! You need to respect your deck if you ever want to win!"

"I don't need a lecture from you!" snapped Noah. "These monsters are just pawns in the game of power! And now I will summon the most powerful monster of the Ice Age! Last Tusk Mammoth!" A large elephant like Duel Monster appeared in front of him. It had shaggy brown fur and two large tusks. However, its attack was only 800.

"I have yet to be impressed," said Kaiba. "For all your talk about the past and advancement, it seems to be doing you little good. News flash Noah, the past is history and there is no point in dwelling in it."

"You should know better than anyone that the past can't be escaped!" snapped Noah.

"You're pathetic," said Kaiba. A multi-colored swirling vortex opened in front of him and his Different Dimension Dragon returned to the field. "My dragon has the ability to travel between dimensions, meaning it can return to the field after every turn." He smirked, enjoying the surprise on Noah's face. "I switch it to defense mode."

"Get ready to lose it!" snapped Noah. "Last Tusk Mammoth, charge!" The massive beast did so, causing the frozen earth to tremor because of its weight.

"Noah is attack a monster stronger than his?!" gasped Tristan.

"He's replying on his monster's special abilities," said Drake.

"I activate Ring of Destruction!" yelled Kaiba, one of his face down cards flipping up. "This card destroys your monster, dealing direct damage equal to its attack points to each of us!"

"But Kaiba only has 700 life points! He'll lose!" gasped Serenity.

"Don't worry, he wouldn't have activated it if it would cause him to lose," Kevin told her.

"Now I activate Ring of Defense, which protects my life points!" shouted Kaiba, another card flipping up.

A large green collar with several cones formed around the neck of Last Tusk Mammoth. The collar self-destructed, taking the mammoth out with it. Noah gasped as the all of the energy of the explosion was directed his way. He was forced back several feet by the blast. His life points dropped to 600.

"All right! Nice move Kaiba! Way to put that little runt in his place!" cheered Joe.

"You almost have him beat!" called Yu-Gi.

"Cream him!" added Lara.

"Save it!" Kaiba snapped back at them.

"Why do we bother?" asked Kevin to no one in particular.

"You're not going to win Noah," said Kaiba, his tone as cold as the ice around them. "I move my Different Dimension Dragon to attack mode. Then, I discard one Thunder Dragon from my hand in order to get two out of my deck!" Two cards floated out of his deck as he snatched them. "Then I activate the magic card Polymerization to fuse them together into the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" His newest monster appeared from the blur of the two Thunder Dragons merging together. It was bright orange and stood on two bony legs that ended in wicked claws. It had a needle-like horn at the end of its nose. A second mouth was embedded in the back of its neck. Its stats were 2800 and 2100.

"Woah!" gasped the spectators.

"It's a fusion monster, it can't attack this turn," said Noah.

"Yes it can, because I activate the Quick Attack magic card!" said Kaiba. "Now my dragons, attack his life points directly!"

"Yes! Kaiba's going to win this!" cheered Joe.

"Ha! Noah has no monsters guarding his life points!" added Kevin.

"That's not a good thing!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"What do you mean?" asked Duke.

"Seto! You forgot about my Deck Master's special ability!" said Noah. Two bright orbs of light from the ark leapt in front of the incoming attack.

"Oh no!" gasped Lara.

"I didn't forget," smirked Kaiba. "In fact, I counted on you using your Deck Master! Now I can activate Dragon's Rage! This card has to be used when a dragon is on the field. Then, I can do damage to your life points even though your monsters are in defense mode!" He laughed. It wasn't a cold laugh, but it still wasn't a happy laugh. "Now I can wipe out the rest of your life points and end this family feud." The Different Dimension Dragon's attack connected, destroying one of the monsters Noah had specially summoned. Thanks to Dragon's Rage, Noah was down to only 400 life points.

"Yes! Kaiba's won!" cheered Serenity.

"I'm going to get my body back!" added Tristan, waving his monkey paws in the air.

"We're going to get out of here!" said Drake and Lara.

"Finish him my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" ordered Kaiba.

Before the monster could attack a small column of light formed in front of Noah, a vortex. Mokuba appeared in it, hovering in the air for a moment before the light faded. He landed lightly, his feet crunching in the snow. He stood in front of Noah, his arms outstretched, defending him.

"Don't do it!" yelled Mokuba.

"What's going on?! Mokuba! What have you done to him, Noah?!" demanded Kaiba, who sounded horrified. "Mokuba…"

"Whoever you are, if you want to attack my brother Noah, you'll have to go through me," said Mokuba.

"Mokuba! Snap out of it!" gasped Kaiba.

"Mokuba's brainwashed! By Noah!" exclaimed Joe.

"That's just sick!" exclaimed Kevin. "He can't just mess with someone's mind like that! Mokuba is just a kid! Noah can't just play with his life like that! How can Noah stoop so low as to turn family against each other! Kaiba might be a jerk, but that is no reason for Noah to use Mokuba like a pawn! It's wrong! Noah should have lost! Hiding behind a hostage is nothing but raw cowardice!"

"I agree with you completely," said Téa.

"Noah is scum," spat Lara.

"There's no words for what Noah just pulled," said Drake, his red eyes narrowing and his lips pressing tightly together.

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"Not Mokuba…" murmured Shayla. "He is the nicest one here. He doesn't deserve to be used like that. I need to be there. I know I could somehow use my scales to show him the truth. Mokuba needs to be freed from Noah's control. Noah has gone way too far this time! What he is doing is completely, totally wrong. Virtual has replaced virtues in this place. Noah just needs to accept his loss and leave Mokuba out of this!"

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Noah laughed. "That's right Mokuba! Protect me from Seto Kaiba! The stranger that's trying to tear you and I apart!" He pointed an accusing finger across the dueling field at Seto.

"Stranger…" echoed Mokuba.

"Mokuba! It's me!" called Kaiba, who seemed at a loss for words.

"Mokuba has chosen sides based on his own free will, Seto. Looking back, maybe you should have treated him with more respect. I'll give him the support you never could," said Noah. Kaiba was fuming. Any sane person would have run scared from the look he was giving Noah. "It didn't have to be this way, but you left me with no choice. Now you have a decision to make. Forfeit this duel and step down as president of Kaiba Corp. or continue with your final attack and risk losing Mokuba for good. His fate is in your hands."

"Noah! Grow a backbone!" shouted Drake, his red eyes burning with anger. Noah's actions had managed to appall everyone present. "That's blackmail and extortion! What you are doing is nothing short of criminal! If you were really so superior, like you claim to be, you wouldn't need to resort to tricks like this! That proves you are nothing more than a pathetic coward Noah! You are just a bratty little kid who's cheating because he can't win any other way!"

"I will not be insulted like that!" snapped Noah. "Mokuba made his own choice! And now Seto has to make his!" He turned his attention to his opponent. "So what will it be? Will you win this duel or forfeit your title as Kaiba Corp. president?"

"If Kaiba attacks Noah now he'll be attacking Mokuba also," said Yu-Gi, who sounded anxious.

"Seto, what's it going to be? Mokuba or control of Kaiba Corp.?" asked Noah. Though it was more like taunting than asking. "Decide! You choice will impact the rest of your life."

"Noah, I'm only going to say this once," said Kaiba in a tone that was pure animosity. "Release Mokuba now. This is our fight. Is that clear? He has nothing to do with this!"

"There you go, disrespecting Mokuba again," scolded Noah. "Acting like his opinion means nothing. Tell him Moki."

"Give Kaiba Corp. to Noah, now!" said Mokuba.

"I don't believe it!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"Drake's right! That's extortion!" yelled Duke. "You keep talking about how you'd be a better CEO than Kaiba, but if you plan on running a company like you are running this duel, you are in major trouble! The real world never bends to the threats of a coward! Your better off in this virtual world Noah, were you can control everything to your whim like the spoiled brat that you are! The real world doesn't function like this, and I can guarantee it will come back to haunt you! So you had better shape up or you'll only prove Kaiba right; that you were better locked away in isolation in this video game!"

"Mokuba has made his position quite clear!" snapped Noah. He turned back to Seto. "Are you going to attack me or not? If you do, just remember you'll be striking Mokuba!"

"You punk!" bellowed Kaiba, his hands clenching into fists. He wanted nothing more than to inflict as much pain as possible on his step-brother.

"Hey! That's not fair!" yelled Joe. "Let Mokuba go and face Kaiba like a man! You aren't proving nothing by brainwashing Mokuba into standing in front of you! You're one pathetic duelist, Noah! You can't win when you follow the rules so you make up new ones, and when that fails you chicken out and hide behind a kid! Why don't you just admit that you lost?!"

Noah ignored him, though flames of anger flickered in his eyes. "Well Seto? Attack and you'll win the duel, but at what cost?"

"I don't like this one bit, but Kaiba has to attack him and win this duel! If he lets Noah win then we all lose!" said Duke.

"This is just sick!" snapped Téa. "Noah has just been toying with every one of us since we got here! This is getting way out of control! And now he's trying to tear a family apart! That's beyond wrong; it's inhumane! Just because he can control everything here doesn't mean he has the right too! People have the right to make their own choice! He's violating Mokuba's free-will for his own gain! That's absolutely heartless!"

"What's it going to be, your victory or your brother?" Noah asked Kaiba.

"It's not right," sobbed Serenity. "Kaiba was so worried about Mokuba, and he was trying so hard to find him and…" She couldn't continue. She shuddered a bit, as if she was trying to ward off more than the cold. Now it was monkey Tristan's turn to hug her.

"All right kid, I'll end my turn," replied Kaiba with gritted teeth.

"I thought so," replied Yu-Gi.

Noah started laughing insanely again. "Seto! I knew you were too weak to go through with your attack! You can't possibly run a company like Kaiba Corp. effectively if you're so quick to give in to your competition. Excellent work, Mokuba. I couldn't ask for a better brother."

"Any time," replied Mokuba, turning to look at Noah with a smile.

"What a team, now let's finish this stranger off, shall we?" replied Noah, acting overly friendly towards Mokuba.

"Yeah! Let's go! That creep doesn't stand a chance!" cheered Mokuba.

"You heard the boy, Seto," gloated Noah. The fury on Kaiba's face was indescribable.

"Noah!" called Lara. "Don't you dare try to play innocent! Everyone here knows that you brainwashed Mokuba into liking you, so drop the act! You only continue to prove how immature and inferior you are! It absolutely pathetic that you have to brainwash someone to like you. Then again, that's the only way anyone would like you. Then you hide from losing like a little kid would! You'll never be able to run a company like that! And you'll never be able to win a duel by relying on deception!"

"It's my turn!" growled Noah, drawing a card. He was glaring hard at the spectators, but they were all returning the look with harsh ones of their own. "I'll start by activating the third special ability of my Deck Master, Restoration of Light!"

"How many special abilities does that boat have?!" gasped Joe.

"As many as that cheater thinks he needs to win," glowered Drake.

Shinato's Ark pulsed. Then, monsters began to appear on the top deck. Every single monster that had been drawn inside the ark was now standing on the stern. Then, in a flash of light, they were all gone, removed from play.

"For every monster in Shinato's Ark that I remove from play, I gain 500 life points," explained Noah.

"Unreal! Noah had twelve monsters in the ark!" gasped Lara.

"I want to know where the heck he came up with the idea for that special ability," said Drake. "Nothing like it is on the card."

Noah gained 6000 life points, bringing him up to 6400.

"He'll never beat us now, Noah!" cheered Mokuba.

Noah smiled and put an arm around him, "not with a mere 700 life points."

"Noah! You'll never win this duel!" shouted Yu-Gi. "You have to have respect to win; respect for your monsters and even respect for your opponents! Duel Monsters are not pawns any more than people are! You cannot hope to gain victory this way! It takes a turn heart to bring out the power of the cards, and you are destroying your own heart!"

"Guys, is there a way Kaiba could still pull this off?" asked Tristan, managing to talk with minimal monkey sounds. "I don't want to be stuck this way forever."

"There always is a way," said Yu-Gi. "He just needs to consider all of his options."

"I hope he can figure something out, because if Kaiba doesn't, we're all stuck here!" exclaimed Duke.

"I hope he wins," said Téa. "Someone has to show Noah that he can't act that way."

"I activate the Dark Hole magic card!" exclaimed Noah. "This destroys every monster on the field! And since they would be sent to the graveyard, they get rerouted into Shinato's Ark!"

"He just filled his boat up with monsters again!" cried Téa.

"That means he can use one of the ark's special abilities again," added Yu-Gi.

"That little twerp just won't quit!" grumbled Joe.

Seto Kaiba seemed preoccupied with other things. _"How could Mokuba be forced to turn against me?! Maybe I have been too hard on him…" _ He remembered the time Lector had talked about, when he had yelled at Mokuba for supposedly slipping information to Gozaburo. Kaiba raised his head and shouted, "Mokuba! We're a team, remember?! You were always there for me!" The fight he had with Mokuba was only half of the story. Mokuba had still come through for him in the end and give his two percent of stock right to Kaiba, forcing Gozaburo to lose control of his own company. "We defeated out step-father together! I couldn't have done it without you!"

"Very touching Seto, but Mokuba is on my team now," said Noah. "And together we're going to take everything you have! Mokuba is my brother! He doesn't even remember you!"

"Kaiba! Listen to me!" called Yu-Gi.

"No thanks," said Kaiba. However, he turned around to face the short duelist when he spoke and did not turn away when he dismissed the help.

"But I can help you Kaiba because I've been through this before," said Yu-Gi. "Remember when Joe was brainwashed by Marik and turned against me? You can get through to Mokuba the same way I got through to Joe. The answer is in your deck!"

"Let's go, you have a duel to lose!" snapped Noah, impatiently.

"Think again kid," retorted Seto, turning back around to face him. "Not only am I going to win this duel, I'm also going to win back my brother! So watch this!" He drew a card and looked at it, but frowned.

"Ha! Looks like you didn't get the card you needed," laughed Noah.

"I move my Different Dimension Dragon to defense mode and end my turn," said Kaiba, his monster reappearing as soon as he drew.

Noah laughed some more. "That's the move of a desperate man. There's nothing you can do to stop me! I've already won this duel! Your body is as good as mine. Then I'm going to escape to the real world and reclaim what should have been mine from the start." He paused, thoughtfully. "It's time for a change. I think I'll warm things up a bit and bring an end to the ice age. After all, this is my virtual world, I control everything here."

Ice began to melt and grass grew again. A few trees also grew, but the landscape did not transform into a forest like last time. Just beyond the tops of the trees skyscrapers rose.

"I recognize that place! It's downtown Domino!" gasped Duke.

"These scene changes are starting to give me a headache," complained Téa.

"At least we aren't freezing any more," said Serenity.

"What's that?" asked Kevin, examining the skyscrapers. One seemed to stand out. It was angular with a ring around the top.

"It's Kaiba Corp.!" exclaimed Joe.

"Explain yourself now!" demanded Seto.

"Must you always be barking orders?" asked Noah. He didn't wait for a response. "Well, since that's your company, I thought you'd like to see it one final time! You see, once you lose and I take over Kaiba Corp., I'll change it back to the way it was. And if you don't remember, this should refresh your memory. Just like so many high tech battle vehicles that were produced by the original Kaiba Corp., my Gradius Flyer can cause an enormous amount of damage."

This monster did not materialize in a flash of light. Instead, it flew onto the field from somewhere in the virtual city. Gradius Flyer was a high-tech looking fighter jet. It was streamline, with places for the weapons to stick out. Its stats were 1200 and 800.

"Then, I equip it with Cyclon Laser, which raises its attack by 300!" announced Noah. "Then I add the magic card, Matter Leveler, which gives Gradius Flyer 100 attack points when it attacks!"

"It's now stronger than the Different Dimension Dragon," commented Drake.

"This duel is getting so close it's making me nervous," said Téa. "But Kaiba has to win this!"

"Gradius Flyer, attack his monster now!" ordered Noah.

Seto Kaiba shielded his eyes as a laser blast blew his Different Dimension Dragon into the next dimension. His life points dropped to 600. But then a vortex opened in front of him and the Different Dimension Dragon returned to the field.

"What was once your monsters advantage is now your downfall," gloated Noah. "It will keep returning, allowing me to destroy it again and again!"

"He has a point there, Yug," said Joe.

"Yes, but if Kaiba draws a powerful monster, he can still turn this duel around," replied Yu-Gi.

"I end my turn," said Kaiba, sourly.

"That's the move of a man who has give up. I knew you were no match for my superior mind. And once I defeat you, everyone will know as well. Then I'll finally run Kaiba Corp. as I was always meant to!" shouted Noah.

"Noah had no right to talk," said Lara, her eyes narrowing. "Kaiba is far from giving up, and he hasn't had to cheat to keep this duel going. Noah's just a runty little boy who was unfortunately born without a backbone. I take that back. He's nothing more than a virtual brat. In reality, he's nothing!"

"Someone needs to belt him a few times," agreed Duke.

Kaiba leveled his freezing gaze at Noah and snapped, "You control this little virtual fantasy land, but there's no way you'll make it in the real world."

"We'll see! I'm aware of what it's like in the real world!" shouted Noah. "After ruling this digital universe, I have no doubt that running Kaiba Corp. will be a simple task, one that I was raised to do for my entire life! That is until you came into my home and took everything away from me! Well, now it's my turn to take everything from you! I took your brother and next I'll take your identity!"

"Give me a break Noah!" yelled Drake. "The real world can't be compared to this computer program! The real world won't form according to your tantrums! You'll never be able to run a company, trust me I know, because this virtual world has made you soft and spoiled you worse than you already were! You're not ready for reality; you couldn't handle it. And the more you try to prove that you can, the more you fail."

"Silence!" demanded Noah. "I play Gradius Option, which allows me to create another Gradius Flyer!" An undistinguishable blob of metal appeared in mid-air next to the first jet. It then twisted and melted, forming an exact replica of the Gradius Option beside it.

"Attack, my Gradius Flyer!" ordered Noah.

The original one fired a blast that obliterated the Different Dimension Dragon. Kaiba gasped as some of the flashback came dangerously close to him. This attack dropped him down to 500 life points. The dragon reappeared from the void a moment later.

_"I can't keep this up much longer,"_ thought Kaiba, grimacing. Virtual attacks still hurt in this world, and he was now struggling.

Noah turned to Mokuba and smiled. "Our enemy will soon be gone. I hope you're enjoying the show."

"Mokuba…" said Seto, softly.

"Seto, it's no use, he's with me!" replied Noah. "How does it feel to lose your only friend?" He laughed. "Now let's get back to your destruction."

The Different Dimension Dragon was again destroyed by the attack of the second Gradius Flyer. Kaiba tried to repress a cry of pain as the heat from the blast washed over him. It knocked him off of his feet. This time his dragon hadn't been in defense mode, so it cost him life points, bringing him down to 500.

"This isn't over yet," said Kaiba, struggling to his feet again. His life points were at 400.

"Look at the mighty Seto Kaiba now!" laughed Noah as Kaiba struggled to compose himself.

"Snap out of it, Mokuba!" yelled Kaiba. "I need you in order to beat him!" there was a hint of pleading in his tone.

"I don't think Kaiba can last much longer dueling like this," said Duke. "If the attacks don't wipe out his life points, they might just knock him out."

"Noah's games are sick," grumbled Téa.

"What's the matter Seto?" taunted Noah. "Feeling down? You're one attack away from total annihilation.

"I'm not done!" snapped Kaiba, trying not to groan in pain.

"Come on Kaiba! Squash this kid!" called Joe.

"You can win this! I know you can!" added Yu-Gi.

"Noah doesn't deserve to win this!" shouted Kevin.

"It will take more than a few attacks to keep me down. It's my move now," said Kaiba, bitterly.

"What a shame, you should know that sometimes its best to stay down," said Noah. "The sooner you give in to my power the lesser suffering you'll have to do, Seto. Mokuba realized that fact."

"You're the one who never learned to stay down you cheater!" shouted Lara.

"Mokuba! I know you're in there! Noah is hypnotizing you with lies!" yelled Yu-Gi. "Kaiba is your brother, not Noah! He's never let you down!"

"Ugh…" groaned Mokuba, slightly. He shook his head a bit.

"Look inside your heart and you'll remember him!" continued Yu-Gi.

"Seto…?" asked Mokuba, sounding dazed.

"He's just trying to break us apart, Mokuba," Noah said to him.

"Mokuba! Listen to me! Don't let Noah poison your mind! We're family and no one can ever change that," called Kaiba. "You and I have always been there to support one another and always will be. There's something I've never told you…"

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Shayla sighed and leaned against the bars of the cage. She was anxious about the outcome of the duel too, but mostly she was concerned about Mokuba. She had a chance to save him, and she had failed. She was also starting to feel lonely. It hurt her to think that the others had completely forgotten about her. And now that Noah was gone, Shayla couldn't banter with him to take her mind off of that fact.

_"I hope they remember me soon, because I'm completely trapped here. I don't want to be forgotten in this place. Loneliness hurts too much, and I never want to go back to it,"_ Shayla thought. _"Though I can't say I'm too thrilled about hearing more about Kaiba's past. It's not the kind of thing I want to get dragged into any more than I already am."_

_"I hope he can reach Mokuba, though. Mokuba doesn't deserve to be used against his brother like that. He and Kaiba are really close, and that bond can't be destroyed! Family is important, I know, even though I never had one myself…"_

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"Mokuba, you once saved me!" called Kaiba. He didn't care who heard, that was irrelevant. What was important was that he reached his brother, at any cost. "When we were kids, when Gozaburo Kaiba adopted us, he was merciless, forcing me to work for hours without rest. I was exhausted and ready to give up, when you inspired me." Kaiba was remembering the time Mokuba had smuggled his deck back to him, hoping Mokuba would remember to. He especially wanted Mokuba to remember the drawing he did of the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon. "By making that card for me you encouraged me not to give up. It gave me something to strive for! I swore that day to be a person worthy of possessing a real Blue-Eyes!"__

_"I remember making that card. I knew how much Seto wanted that card, I thought if I drew one for him he'd remember his dream of owning a real one someday,"_ thought Mokuba, through the haze of Noah's lies. _ "And I secretly dreamed Seto and his Blue-Eyes would fly me as far from my step-father's house as we can go."_ A single tear fell from his eye. "I remember…" Mokuba groaned slightly, trying to break free from Noah's trickery.

"That's right!" called Kaiba. "I know you can't forget about me! You're strong, and I know you can break through his mind games! Never give up! And never let anyone control you!"

Mokuba struggled even more. "Never…give…up…"

"Mokuba! We can do this! You and I together!" shouted Kaiba. He drew a card, starting his next turn and smiled when he saw what it was.

"This is all so sweet," cooed Serenity.

"Kaiba almost broke through to Mokuba!" cheered Tristan.

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_"I don't think I'll ever be able to understand Seto Kaiba. He always acts like such a jerk, then…then he changes, like he did now. Those times he's really noble, and he actually seems like a pretty decent guy,"_ thought Shayla. _"I can't make any sense of it, except he's the most two-faced person I've ever known. I don't know why he wants to act so mean all the time, when he is capable of being so civil."_ She paused a moment. _"And why do I let it bother me so much? Why do I always end up trying to make sense of Kaiba's mood swings?"_

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"I activate my Deck Master's special ability again!" declared Seto. "I tribute my Different Dimension Dragon in order to summon my Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" There was a powerful surge of wind and a bright flash and the Blue-Eyes appeared where the Different Dimension Dragon stood just moments before.

"Yes!" cheered the crowd.

"There it is…It's the monster I drew for Seto," said Mokuba, sounding more awake by the moment. "The one that he always wanted… I tried my best to help him get it. Now, thanks to my help, he has one in his deck! I remember!" He shook his head, eliminating the last bit of control Noah had on him.

"Mokuba!" called Kaiba.

"Seto! You're my brother!" exclaimed Mokuba.

"He's our enemy Mokuba," growled Noah.

"Too late! Mokuba is back with us!" taunted Joe.

"That is so sweet!" exclaimed Téa.

"He did it!" cheered Serenity.

"And when Mokuba moves away Kaiba can blast Noah!" added monkey Tristan.

"It warms the heart!" said Lara, hugging Drake.

"See you later you phony!" Mokuba said to Noah. He jumped off of the slightly raised platform Noah was dueling on and started to make his way to Mokuba.

"Now's your chance Kaiba!" called Yu-Gi.

"Attack with your White Lightning!" ordered Kaiba.

The Blue-Eyes, White Dragon bellowed and opened its mouth. Raw energy collected there, before the dragon released it, blowing both of the Gradius Flyers to scrap metal. Noah was reduced to 4900 life points.

"Yes! Kaiba knew that when the original Gradius was destroyed, the copy would be as well!" cheered Yu-Gi.

"Yeah, he knows Duel Monsters, but his people skills need work," commented Drake.

"Well, with Mokuba out of the way, Kaiba can crush that punk now," said Kevin.

Noah was now glaring across the field at Kaiba. "I activate my Deck Master's special ability by removing all the Duel Monsters in it from play! That increases my life points by 2500!" This brought him up to 7400.

"That kid is good at one thing though," said Lara. "Stalling."

"It doesn't matter how many life points you have Noah, because this duel is going to end this turn," said Kaiba.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Noah.

"I activate the trap card Last Turn!" declared Seto. "This card can only be activate when I have less than 1000 life points. We both select one monster and only one. All other cards are sent to the graveyard. Then, the two monsters battle until one is destroyed. The person with the remaining Duel Monster is the winner of this duel."

"This is a big gamble," said Drake.

"I hope Kaiba knows what he's doing," said Téa.

"My monster will by my Blue-Eyes, White Dragon," said Kaiba.

"Then I choose my Deck Master, Shinato's Ark," said Noah. His boat floated onto the field.

"White Lightning!" ordered Kaiba.

His favorite monster fired its beam right at Shinato's Ark. The ark burst like a bomb had gone off. Smoldering bits of wood fell to the ground.

"All right!"

"He did it!"

"Way to go, Kaiba!" cheered the teens.

Noah started laughing, and laughing hard. It was an insane laugh.

"Yes, you destroyed Shinato's Ark," said Noah. "But you have unleashed a power far worse!" A golden sphere was floating where Shinato's Ark had once been. It slowly unfolded itself, revealing itself to be a large Duel Monster. "You have released Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!" His newest monster wore a white, pale green, and lilac robe that flared out at the bottom. Four golden wings sprouted out of its back. Its skin was silver-grey, almost like it had been spray painted that color. Its face was set like a mask. Its stats were 3300 and 3000.

"Shinato, attack his Blue-Eyes!" ordered Noah. Shinato put its hands together and formed its own beam of light. It blasted the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon to dust. Kaiba was thrown to the ground from the blast.

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"What the heck is Noah trying to pull?!" fumed Shayla. "Shinato's Ark is a ritual magic card! It's not a monster! I guess if they wanted to consider it a monster, it would have 0 attack and defense points," Shayla said, though she didn't like it. "And Kaiba's Blue-Eyes destroyed it…What does Last Turn say? 'The player whose monster remains alone on the field at the End Phase of this turn wins the Duel.' But they both could only choose one monster…Noah never should have been able to summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane! Even if he wanted to summon it using Shinato's Ark, he didn't follow the rules for activating a ritual magic card!"

She paused again. There was still something that didn't seem right. "Wait a minute! If Kaiba had summoned his Different Dimension Dragon instead…It still would have been able to destroy Shinato's Ark. Different Dimension Dragon would come back to the field because of its special effects, so Kaiba could summon it and not break the rules of Last Turn like Noah did. And Different Dimension Dragon can't be destroyed by a monster with more than 1900 attack points! So even if Noah was able to summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane within the rules of Last Chance, it never could have destroyed the Different Dimension Dragon! Of course, the dragon couldn't destroy Shinato either…so…what did Last Turn say? 'Any other case results in a draw.' So, since neither Shinato nor Different Dimension Dragon could destroy each other, they'd be in a stalemate. Kaiba is no amateur duelist, he had to know that about Different Dimension Dragon…That means he had to intentionally summon his Blue-Eyes over the Different Dimension Dragon!"

"But…why did he do that?" she asked herself, since she was alone. The answer dawned on her. "Mokuba…he did it to keep Mokuba out of Noah's grasp. Kaiba threw to duel to save his brother. That…that…that's amazing. Kaiba just proved he has a heart, that he cares about someone more than his love of power and victory."

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"Seto! No!" cried Mokuba, running to his older brother.

"Ha! Did you see that father? I have finally proven I am better that Seto Kaiba!" shouted Noah. "I am superior! Kaiba Corp. is mine! But I don't think I'll use your body, when I have so many I can choose from." Noah floated up into the sky, until he was even with Shinato. He then began sinking backwards until his body was being enveloped by his Deck Master. "Now, for one final order of business."

"This is not good," said Kevin who was watching Noah with wide eyes.

"Now what is that twerp trying to pull?!" demanded Joe.

Kaiba ignored all of Noah's comments. They didn't matter to him. Only one thing mattered. Mokuba was running towards him. He had won his brother back, and that was more important than any duel.

"Seto!" called Mokuba.

"Mokuba…" said Kaiba, smiling genuinely ever so slightly.

Mokuba had just about reached him. Kaiba pulled himself into a sitting position, extending a hand to reach his younger brother.

"So long, boys!" shouted Noah from within Shinato. He pointed a finger at the two Kaiba brothers. A lightning blast shot out, covering them. They both barely had a moment to gasp out in surprise.

"No! What did you do?!" yelled Joe.

The other teens raced over to the Kaiba brothers but it was too late. Both of them had been completely petrified. Seto and Mokuba were now only mere statutes.

(AN/ xbursts into tearsx)

"Oh my gosh…" gasped Lara.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Kevin, waving a hand in front of their faces. But, as expected, he got no response.

"That punk!" snapped Drake. "This is no way for a duelist to act! You're nothing bu scum, Noah!"

"Kaiba was a creep, but he didn't deserve this…" said Joe.

"It's not fair, it's not fair," sobbed Serenity, hugging monkey Tristan tightly.

Noah laughed. "I always thought they were a bit hard headed, so I turned them into statues. They're so close, and yet they'll never reach each other, how tragic. I think I'll call my artwork, the Wonderful Brotherhood." He laughed again. "Because that's exactly where their brotherhood got them!" A single tear fell from Mokuba's stone eye.

"It can't be!" cried Yu-Gi. His anger caused the Millennial Puzzle to activate. Yami took control.

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_"I don't think there are any words for that atrocity," _thought Shayla. _"Noah can't treat people that way! It's more than wrong; it's evil! Noah lost the duel fair and square, but the he resorted to deception and cheating! Something has to be done about this. Those acts cannot be allowed to continue. Justice, that's what we need. There has to be something I can do instead of sitting here! I made the mistake of doing nothing once, I don't want to repeat it, especially since I now know that people might get hurt if I don't. I have the Millennial Scales for a reason, so it's about time I learned to put them to their proper use. And I can't think of a better way at this time then to stop that arrogant, lying brat and somehow free Kaiba and Mokuba! Then, I'll know how to use them to save Mai when we get back to reality. I just need to figure out how to get out of this cage."_ She began to feel around the metal that surrounded and imprisoned her, searching for anything she could do to escape.

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"Noah!" called Yami Yu-Gi. "You think this proves you're the best? I think it shows your father that you're a coward."

"What are you talking about, Yu-Gi? I defeated Seto in this duel fair and square!" snapped Noah.

"Fair my eye!" shouted Téa.

"Guess again!" yelled Yami. "You think kidnapping Mokuba and using him as a shield is fair?!"

"You think I cheated?!" challenged Noah.

"No, we know you cheated!" shouted Lara,

"You are guilty of the same foul play you once scolded the Big 5 for!" continued Yami. "Something you said your father would never allow! Kaiba could have easily defeated you but he chose the safety of his little brother over his victory and that makes Kaiba a stronger person that you will ever be! All you've proven here today is that you are a weak little boy who needs to cheat to get his way! As far as I'm concerned, you didn't win this duel." He bent down and picked up Kaiba's card. They had slid, forgotten, out of his duel disk when he had reached out of Mokuba. "But I have a proposition for you. Kaiba has 400 LP left, let me take his place to finish this duel fair and square!"

"That's the most foolish challenge I have ever heard!" shouted Noah.

"So you accept? Or you afraid I'll defeat you and prove once and for all that you are weak!?" asked Yami. He was busy shuffling his cards in with Kaiba's deck.

"Are you sure you should be touching Kaiba's cards?" asked Kevin, remembering how Kaiba had gone off on him.

"I'd be crazy not to accept!" said Noah.

"You are crazy," said Drake

"Yu-Gi, don't be an idiot!" called Joe. "He's got over 7000LP! You only have a measly 400."

"Joe's right for a change!" added Tristan.

"Are you sure Kaiba is worth this risk?" asked Duke.

"Once I defeat you, Yu-Gi, I'll turn every one of you into stone," said Noah, trying to intimidate everyone.

"Just try it!" challenged Joe.

"We're not afraid of you Noah!" called Drake.

The rocks under Noah and Yami began to separate from the ground, raising them fifty feet in the air on a floating rocky platform.

"I think we need a little privacy, don't you?" asked Noah

"You're just afraid we're going to kick your butt, literally!" shouted Lara.

"You had better not try any more of those tricks, Noah!" threatened Kevin.

"Come on Yu-Gi, don't let him freak you out!" called Téa.

"If you lose, you set us all free," said Yami. "In the name of Kaiba and Mokuba, let's duel!"

"With pleasure Yu-Gi, and may the best duelist win," said Noah, clearly not meaning anyone but himself.

"You're on!" shouted Yami, activating his duel disk.

"And when I win, you and your friends will be prisoners of my world forever!" shouted Noah.

"You're not going to win, so you can forget that idea right now!" shouted Duke.

"We're all right behind you Yu-Gi!" added Tristan, mixing in some monkey chatter.

"Please win this!" called Serenity.

"Taking his place was a mistake!" said Noah from inside Shinato to Yami.

"Listen Noah, you over-powered Kaiba using deceit and betrayal!" glared Yami. "You used your virtual technology to turn him and Mokuba into stone! If you think that makes you a superior duelist you are sadly mistaken!"

"Believe what you wish, but as soon as I am done refreshing my deck with new cards you and your friends will meet the same fate as Seto and Mokuba," said Noah. New cards were floating into his duel disk even as he spoke.

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"That can't possible be legal!" shrieked Shayla. "That rotten little cheater!" Her Millennial Scales pulsed beside her, ready to be used. But she did not know how to channel the power that ran through them. There were times when it would burst out, but that wasn't the same as her having control over her Millennial Item.

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"Yu-Gi's been involved in some pretty tough duels against some whack jobs in the past, but this duel definitely takes the cake. Not only is Yu-Gi almost out of life points, he has no monsters on the field. Noah just merged himself with his Deck Master," said Joe.

"That means Noah can crush Yu-Gi with one attack! And I'll be a robot monkey statue!" complained Tristan.

"It also means that if Yu-Gi can destroy Shinato, he wins the duel," said Drake.

"Yu-Gi, we're all here for you! And I know you can save Mokuba and Kaiba and get us out of this place!" called Téa.

"Put that brat into his place!" shouted Lara. "Like make him stand in a corner or something."

"Show him how a real duelist duels!" added Duke.

"Blah, blah, blah, lets do this," said Noah, sarcastically. "Then I can silence your cheerleaders by turning them into statues. But just to be fair, I'll let you go first."

"You think you can control us like pawns! But I'm going to end your game!" said Yami. "I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts to the field in defense mode!" His first monster looked almost like a brown were-wolf that was halfway through transforming. Though it did have two cream colored goat's horns. It also had wicked claws. Gazelle had 1200 defense points.

"That's it?" taunted Noah. "This duel is going to be over quicker than I thought!"

"If Noah draws a monster, Yu-Gi's history!" exclaimed monkey Tristan.

"Oh no!" gasped Téa.

"Well, Yu-Gi is rather lucky when it comes to stuff like this," said Drake, even though he did look a bit tense.

Noah drew his next card. The smirk disappeared from his face.

"I can tell you didn't get a monster," said Yami with a slight smile.

"Yes, but I can still do this!" snapped Noah, raising the hands of Shinato. Six bright orbs formed a circle in front of him. "This is the Divine Ring of Shinato, and it will obliterate you!" The orbs shot forward, pelting the ground. Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts bellowed in pain and vanished.

"Are you okay, Yug?!" called Joe.

"I'm fine," replied Yami. Then he looked down. The numbers on his duel disk were moving. "What's this?! My monster was in defense mode!" He was now down to 200 life points.

"That's one of Shinato's special abilities," gloated Noah. "If it destroys a defensive monster, you lose half of your life points!" Yami's violet eyes narrowed. "Shinato also has another special ability. I gain any life points you lose!" Now Noah had 7600 life points.

"Like that guys needs any more LP?!" exclaimed Tristan.

"These Deck Master rules are crap!" growled Drake. "They take away from the true purpose of Duel Monsters!"

"You know, you're right Drake," said Duke. "Noah has to be making these rules up as he goes along."

"Come on Yu-Gi! You have to beat him!" called Téa. "We all believe in you and we know you can win!"

Noah laughed. "You don't stand a chance, Yu-Gi! You'll never get me down to zero life points. Then you and your pathetic cheerleaders are going to be permanent stone fixtures in my virtual world. All because you're trying to save someone who didn't even like you in the first place."

"Kaiba and I have quite a bit in common," replied Yami. "We are both participants in an ancient struggle that dates back 5000 years. And Kaiba and I both have something else in common, something you'd know nothing about."

"Really? What might that be?" asked Noah.

"He duels with honor and respect," answered Yami.

"Is that so? And you think that makes you both superior to me?" retorted Noah.

"It makes us human," replied Yami.

"Well you won't be human for long!" shot Noah. "As soon as I blow away what's left of your life points, you'll all be motionless objects!"

"Better than being a spoiled virtual brat!" yelled Lara.

"Kick his tail, Yu-Gi!" added Duke.

"I play one monster face down in defense mode," said Yami, ending his next turn.

"Then I play Yata-Garasu!" announced Noah. This monster looked like an oversized black crow. Its attack was 200 and its defense was 100.

"That's a spirit monster!" gasped Drake.

"Huh? Spirit monster?" asked Joe.

"It's a new type of card that Industrial Illusions just released," said Drake. "Dad had just finished designing them when he slipped into a coma…"

"Sorry man," replied Joe. Drake dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"Now, I will attack your face down monster!" exclaimed Noah. He raised Shinato's hands again and the Divine Ring formed. The orbs struck Yami's face down monster. Yami shielded his eyes as his monster was revealed to be the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. When the smoke from the attack faded, Yami's monster was still standing.

"What?! How can that be?!" gasped Noah.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian cannot be destroyed by a monster with more than 1900 attack points, and you have over 3000!" explained Yami.

"You might have survived this turn, but you won't last much longer," growled Noah. "I now activate Spring of Rebirth, which gives me 500 life points each time a monster is returned to my hand. Now, Yata-Garasu, return!"

"There you go breaking the rules again!" called Yami. "You can't merely recall a monster to your hand!"

"When Maximilian Pegasus was designing the game of Duel Monster his travels brought him to the mystical orient. Here he learned of the legendary spirit monsters, beings with other worldly powers. So he based a series of cards on these beasts, giving them the ability to return to their owner's hand after every turn," explained Noah. "How dare you accuse me of cheating, Yu-Gi?!" His life points were raised to 8100.

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"That's because you are a rotten little cheater," said Shayla. "You'd be disqualified from any normal duel, Noah. This duel badly needs an official."

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Yami drew his next card. _"This is one of Kaiba's monsters!"_

"Come on Yug, show him who's boss!" called Joe.

"I play this monster face down and end my turn," said Yami, putting the card he just drew onto his duel disk.

"Yu-Gi! Come on! You can't win this by defending!" called Duke.

"Yu-Gi will win," said Serenity, confidently.

"I play another spirit monster, Asura, in attack mode!" announced Noah. This monster wore an embroidered kilt-like piece of clothing and multiple golden pieces of jewelry. Its skin was the same color as Shinato's. But what stood out about it was the fact that it had six arms, all with a curved sword. Its stats were 1700 and 1200.

"Asura has less than 1900 attack points, so it can destroy your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" said Noah. "Asura, attack now with Daggers of Demise!"

His monster responded by throwing all six of the swords it carried at Yami's monster. They all hit their mark, impaling the elfin warrior. The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian burst into data. Luckily, it was in defense mode so Yami lost no life points.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention," said Noah. "Asura has a special ability as well, Multiple Attacks!"

"Multiple Attacks?!" gasped Yami.

"Oh no!" exclaimed the teens.

"Asura can attack every monster on your side of the field in the same!" laughed Noah as his monster prepared for another attack.

His spirit monster once again threw all six swords at the face down card hologram in front of Yami. The card flipped up, showing that Noah had impaled a Cyber Jar.

"Ha! That's one of Kaiba's monster!" said Yami. "And when a Cyber Jar is flipped, its special ability activates!"

"Oh no!" cried Noah as the vacuum like force from the Cyber Jar began to pull Shinato into it, and Noah along with Shinato. "What's going on?!"

"Cyber Jar destroys all monsters on the field!" explained Yami.

"Yes! Way to go Yug!" cheered Joe.

"And with his Deck Master gone, Noah automatically loses!" added Drake.

"And getting blasted by Cyber Jar is exactly what that brat deserves!" said Lara.

"Yay! You won it!" called Téa.

"Banana splits all around!" cheered Tristan.

"That will have to wait until we get back to reality," said Kevin.

"We can finally escape this place!" added Duke.

"Ugh! No!" Noah continued to scream. "REVERSAL!"

The entire field was engulfed in a bright explosion as the Cyber Jar self-destructed. But when the smoke cleared, Shinato was still standing, back away from the field in the Deck Master's position. Noah fell out of it and collapsed onto the field in the duelist's position.

"What happened? Why is Shinato still there!?" asked Duke.

"I thought Yu-Gi just won the duel," commented Serenity.

"He did," replied Joe.

"Don't tell me Noah invented another Deck Master special ability," groaned Lara.

"What is that punk trying to pull now?!" demanded Joe.

" I guess Yu-Gi didn't win the duel…" said Duke, dejectedly.

"Noah is starting to give me a headache," complained Drake.

"He's been giving me a headache," said Kevin.

"Reversal is another one of Shinato's special abilities," Noah said to Yami. "During a battle, Shinato can be returned to its place on the sidelines for the remainder of the duel."

"I can see that," said Yami. "However, there's more to Cyber Jar's special ability. We each must draw five cards. Then, any monster with four stars or less that we draw is automatically summoned to the field."

"I know what the card does!" snapped Noah.

"I summon Sangan and Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" announced Yami. His first monster looked like a pink sphere with way too many large eyes. It had squat green arms and legs. Gamma was a monster made up of metallic spheres and U-shaped magnets. "What monsters will you summon, Noah?"

"I have no monsters," growled Noah.

"All right! That means he's wide open for a direct attack!" cheered Joe.

"It's going to take a direct attack with all the life points Noah has," commented Duke.

"This is the turn around, Yu-Gi!" called Kevin. "Time to spank that twerp!"

"Yeah! Show him no one messes with the King of Games!" added monkey Tristan.

"It's my turn now," said Yami. "I tribute Sangan and Gamma in order to summon the Dark Magician!" His favorite monster appeared from the swirling energies of the two weaker monsters. The Dark Magician's stats were 2500 and 2100.

"Let's see Noah get passed that!" laughed Lara.

"And since Sangan was sent to the graveyard, I can activate its special ability," said Yami. "I can select a monster with less than 1500 attack points from my deck and add it to my hand! And I chose my Big Shield Gardna!"

"See that Noah?! That's how a real duelist duels, without cheating!" called Joe.

"That's a lesson you badly need to learn!" added Téa.

"Yeah, now finish the lesson and cream him!" shouted Kevin.

"Show the brat what Duel Monsters is really about, Yu-Gi!" called Drake.

"Dark Magician, attack his life points directly! Dark Magic Attack!" ordered Yami.

The Dark Magician raised its staff and fired a wave of dark energy straight at Noah. The young duelist hardly seemed to wince as his life points dropped to 5600.

"Yu-Gi, how dare you humiliate me like that?" growled Noah.

"Humiliate you?!" exclaimed Yami. "It's you who humiliated Kaiba and Mokuba so that you could prove to your father that you are superior!" He glanced down at the two unmoving forms of the Kaiba brothers.

"I am! No one's better!" shouted Noah. "I deserve to be rewarded for my unsurpassable power!"

"Maybe when you get off of Huggies ©," laughed Lara.

"And I thought Kaiba had a huge ego…" commented Kevin.

"You must earn respect, not demand it!" snapped Yami. "It's true, perhaps your father should have recognized your talents, maybe you have been treated unfairly. No one deserves to be locked away in isolation the way you were by your father." He pointed at the still hovering metal orb in the sky. "However, that's no excuse for the way you've been treating us Noah!"

"That's enough out of you, Yu-Gi!" shouted Noah.

"It must not be enough if you still haven't gotten it through your head!" exclaimed Joe. "You're nothing except a big cheater! The only reason you've lasted this long is because you cheat!"

"Why don't you go back to the nursery and suck your thumb?" called Lara. "That's the only place you belong!"

"Yeah, you can throw your tantrums there without causing us any grief!" added Duke.

"You can't win this duel by playing fair, so why don't you just admit it and let us all go?" asked Kevin.

_"I've heard just about enough out of Yu-Gi's little pep squad down there,"_ thought Noah, viciously.

"Your sick games have gone on too long! I want my body back!" said Tristan in monkey.

"Yeah Noah!" added Serenity. "We had a deal that Tristan would get his body back if we beat the Big 5, so keep your end of the bargain!"

"You had better keep your bargain with us!" said Téa. "When Yu-Gi crushes you, you had better let us out!"

"So, quit being a disgrace to the game my father created!" snapped Drake.

"Your friends are pathetic," Noah said to Yami. "They don't seem to realize you can't win. I guess they're more clueless than I thought."

"Come down here and say that!" challenged Joe. "I bet you're just jealous because Yu-Gi has friends and you're just a spoiled little brat who angry at the world because someone stuck you in a computer with no one to hang out with except your sorry self."

"I'd be mad at the world too if I was Noah and I had no one but myself to hang out with," agreed Kevin.

"I think your friend made his point, so I think It's only fair that now I get a chance to make my point," said Noah, fuming. "I've heard your loud-mouthed friends insult me for too long! So take this!"

Noah pointed directly at the sky. The sky turned completely dark for a moment, just like it was the middle of a violent storm. Suddenly, the clouds released a large bolt of lightning. The lightning struck down in the middle of the group of spectators. It hit Kevin. The force caused him to lose his balance and he started to fall backwards. However, it was no ordinary bolt of lightning. Kevin's body started to turn to stone from the feet up. A moment later when the light died away, Kevin was a statue, just like the Kaiba brothers. Most of his weight was on one foot, as he was falling backward. An expression of complete surprise was frozen on his face.

"Kevin!" gasped the group, running to him. But there was nothing they could do.

Noah laughed. "Much better. That was so much fun I think I'll transform you all into stone, one by one for every turn I take. What do you say?"

"I say, I'll rearrange your face you little brat!" snapped Joe, raising a fist.

"Change him back! He's not part of this duel!" demanded Téa.

"You gutless runt!" shouted Drake.

"If this doesn't prove what we've been saying about you all along, I don't know what will!" added Duke.

"Silence! Or you'll be next to go!" ordered Noah. "Since you're all so confident that Yu-Gi's going to win, I've decided to put your fates into his hands. So with every turn that Yu-Gi fails to defeat me, another of you will be turned to stone frozen in time with a look of despair on your face, because Yu-Gi failed to save you. And Yu-Gi, you'll be left in the middle of a circle of motionless statues which used to be your friends."

Yami chuckled.

"What's so funny?!" demanded Noah.

"You're nothing but a child," replied Yami. "Six years may have passed, but I'm afraid you haven't matured at all. You're a weak boy!"

"I am strong!" snapped Noah.

"Not strong enough! Just look!" said Yami, gesturing to his friends below.

"Come on! You can still beat this lame-o!" called Joe.

"So don't you even think about giving up this duel!" added Téa.

"He's just throwing another tantrum! You can't let him get away with this!" called Drake.

"Now you know you have to win, to get all of us back!" added Serenity.

"We all know you can win this, Yu-Gi. We haven't give up yet, so you can't either!" said Duke.

"Make that creep pay for everything he's done!" said monkey Tristan, chattering away in chimp.

"Show him the heart of a true duelist!" yelled Drake.

"This can't be! How can they still have faith?!" gasped Noah.

"Noah! You wouldn't be surprised if you had the chance to experience true friendship! You're just bitter!" called Yami.

"The only thing I know about friendship is how to destroy it!" shouted Noah.

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_"Listen to them,"_ thought Shayla. _"That's true friendship. They're there, supporting each other no matter what. I should be there too. I want to be, regardless of the risk. I want to be with my friends. I want to be a better friend. I should have tried to find them. What was I thinking then?"_

_"I know…I was afraid. I've been scared stiff since the Battle City finals began…No, it's been even longer than that. Since before I had that nightmare helicopter ride. I've been scared since Battle City began. … I am so sick of that feeling. The others have just as much reason to be afraid as I do, but they're not scared. They're still going on strong in the face of danger. I need to pull myself together and get a grip. Being terrified isn't going to help me or anyone else. I need to put my fear aside and do what needs to be done. That's the right thing to do. How could I have forgotten? 'Good has to do nothing for evil to win.' It's time I acted for justice and put aside my fear."_

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"I activate my Next World magic card!" announced Noah. An intricate Indian carpet unrolled in front of him.

"What is this?" asked Yami.

"I think you might find something very interesting on my carpet," said Noah. Woven into the pattern was the image of the Dark Magician.

"My Dark Magician?!" gasped Yami.

"Next World lets me summon a monster with the same number of stars as one of your monsters on the field. So I summon my Yamata Dragon!" exclaimed Noah.

This spirit monster was off white in color. It had a dragon build, though it didn't have any wings. It was a hydra, with eight heads. Each head had its own pair of blood red eyes. Its stats were 2600 and 3100.

"Dragons represent honor and nobility. They are divine creatures. Noah doesn't deserve to have one in his deck," grumbled Drake.

"Yamata Dragon, attack the Dark Magician with 8 Headed Flame Attack!" ordered Noah. All heads of the Yamata Dragon fired a blast like molten lava at the spell caster. The Dark Magician was incinerated. Yami's life points dropped down to a slim 100.

"Come on Yu-Gi! Don't let this kid push you around!" called Téa.

"Yeah! We're all behind you!" added Joe.

"Don't worry, that card has to return to his hand now!" shouted Drake.

"Don't give up!" said Tristan.

"They're right, everyone is counting on me," said Yami.

"Go get him Yu-Gi!" called Duke.

"The safety of all my friends depends on my victory, so lets get on with this duel," said Yami, who sounded like he was still trying to shake off the last attack.

"Give it up," said Noah. "My Deck Master's special ability gives me the life points you lost, and Spring of Rebirth gives me 500 more life points when my Yamata Dragon returns to my hand." As he spoke, his dragon vanished off of the field. Noah's life points rose to 6200.

"To start my turn, I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" declared Yami.

"What's going on?!" gasped Noah as glowing white swords fell into place around him.

"You cannot attack for three turns," explained Yami.

"Way to go!" cheered Joe.

"That gives you three turns to drain off all those life points he has!" added Lara.

"We knew you could win!" shouted Duke.

"I know summon Kuriboh in attack mode!" said Yami. His puffball monster appeared where his Dark Magician once stood. Its stats were only 300 and 200. "Attack his life points directly!"

The Kuriboh raced forward and slashed at Noah with its short claws. He lost 300 life points, bringing him down to 5900.

"I hardly felt a thing," bragged Noah. "I have so many life points that that little piece of fuzz barely made a dent. You'll never beat me with pathetic attacks like that."

"I have to end my turn," said Yami.

"You know what that means!" laughed Noah. "Since you didn't beat me, I get to turn another one of your friends to stone!"

He once again pointed at the sky. The storm clouds returned and a bolt of lightning shot down at the teens. They all ducked and cringed, not knowing who it would strike. It hit Duke. His whole body jerked back and began to stiffen. He was petrified leaning backwards. His mouth was open in a silent scream.

"Duke! No!" gasped Joe.

"Oh no! That kid made a stiff out of Duke too!" cried monkey Tristan. He had leapt out of Serenity's arms and raced up Duke like he was a tree. Tristan waved a paw in front of Duke's face, but got no response.

"Noah! You're sick!" snapped Lara.

"You won't get away with this!" shouted Téa.

"I already have!" laughed Noah as he drew a card. He put one card on his duel disk. "I play this face down and end my turn." He couldn't attack because Swords of Revealing Light still bound him.

_"I want to summon my Dark Magician Girl, but I need to tribute a monster to do so. I could use Kaiba's Deck Master's special ability, but it only works on light type monsters, and Dark Magician Girl is a dark type,"_ thought Yami as he examined the card he just drew. _"I guess I'll have to do something else."_

"I play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" announced Yami. "Then I move my Kuriboh to defense mode." This monster looked like a hairy barbarian wearing simple blue armor. It carried a gold and blue shield that was bigger than it was. That's because its defense was 2600.

"Is that all, Yu-Gi?" smirked Noah.

"…Sadly, yes," said Yami, who truly sounded sad.

"Say good-bye to another one of your friends!" shouted Noah, again pointing at the sky.

This time the thunder his monkey Tristan. Tristan hardly had time to protest before his entire robotic body seized up.

"Don't let him win, Yu-Gi!" gasped Tristan. He was so light the blast actually picked him several feet off of the ground. When the energy receded, he fell to the ground, petrified in mid-jump.

"No! Tristan!" gasped the teens.

"I'll get you back Tristan," said Yami. His gaze leveled at Noah. "Noah this has got to stop!"

"This will stop when I win! By then you'll all be trapped here!" shouted Noah.

"Not Tristan!" gasped Serenity.

"Give the poor guy a break! You already made him a monkey!" protested Joe.

"Grow a backbone Noah!" shouted Drake. "You're duel is with Yu-Gi, so leave us out of it!"

"Quiet, he might decide to go after you next," cautioned Téa.

"Hurry up and beat that punk, Yu-Gi!" called Lara.

"My turn!" snapped Noah, glaring at the remaining teens. He also frowned at the swords around him. "I play one monster face down in defense mode, and one magic card as well. Two more turns and I can attack you and wipe out the little life points you have left!"

Yami drew his next card and frowned. "I play this face down…"

"Isn't there anything he can do?" asked Serenity, who sounded worried.

"Most strategies take time," said Drake. "Noah's demands are unreasonable for a duel, the coward."

"Well, we can't quit routing for Yu-Gi just because Noah says so," stated Joe.

"That's right! We can't give up on him," agreed Téa.

Noah had pointed at the sky again, calling another thunderbolt down. This time he was targeting Drake. Drake barely had any time to react. He had just started to throw his arms up defensively when his entire body was paralyzed. He stood, looking half ready for action, completely petrified. The only thing that survived was the pseudo-Millennial Gauntlet on his arm.

"Drake?!!" cried Lara, horrified. She looked at her boyfriend, as stunned as he was for a moment. Then her emotions quickly turned to anger.

"Noah!" she shrieked. "You'll regret that!" With that she turned and started to run towards him. How she attempted to pull of what she planned is a mystery, since he was floating above the ground. But before she got far, Joe managed to grab her by the arm and stopped her. "Let me go! I'll kill him! He won't get away with this! I'll murder him! I'm going to cut his heart out and shove it down his throat! I'll make a noose out of his own intestines and strangle him with it! I'll…"

"Lara! Calm down!" said Joe as he desperately tried to restrain her. Everyone else was slowly backing away. The violet-haired girl had a violent side they had not known. Though Noah had did the exact thing to make her absolutely furious.

"Remind me never to make her mad…" Téa said to no one in particular.

"I am sorry, Lara," apologized Yami.

"I think I know how this duel is going to end," gloated Noah as he drew a card. "I'm going to win this on my next turn, then you and your friends will be turned to stone."

"…and force him to eat his own liver!" continued Lara.

"Lara…" called Serenity, tentatively. But Lara was too mad to respond.

The duel continued as Lara continued to invent ways to disembowel Noah.

"I activate Pyro Clock of Destiny!" declared Noah. "This card speeds up the count by one turn." The Swords of Revealing Light vanished from around him.

"But it hasn't been three turns!" gasped Yami.

"That's what Pyro Clock of Destiny does," said Noah. "Now, I Flip over one of my monster cards." The monster was revealed to be a female monster called Otohime. She wore a clingy, shimmery blue outfit with matching cape that showed off her legs. Her stats were minimal at 0 and 100.

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"You didn't just?!" fumed Shayla. She was feeling the same anger Drake had felt when Noah brought Yamata Dragon into play. It was the same way she felt when the Big 5 used a female monster. "Get your grubby little fingers off of her…"

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"By flipping Otohime over, I activate her special ability," said Noah. "That allows me to force one of your monsters into attack mode!"

"Oh no!" gasped Yami.

"And I choose your Kuriboh!" said Noah as the lintball stood up straighter, though it was hard to tell.

"But if Noah attacks, it will wipe Yu-Gi out!" exclaimed Joe.

"You have to stop him!" called Téa.

"And then I'll use his eyeballs in a stew!" continued Lara.

"Now I tribute both of my monster to summon a creature you are very familiar with," said Noah, scowling at Yami. "Return to the field, Yamata Dragon!"

"Oh no!" gasped Serenity.

"Yamata Dragon, attack his Kuriboh now with 8 Headed Flame Attack!" ordered Noah. His monster once again fired a powerful sequence of molten fireballs at Kuriboh. Yami was lost in the smoke created from the attack

"I win the duel, now you and your friends are trapped here forever!" bragged Noah. "I've finally proven my point. See Yu-Gi, no one is superior to me!"

"You wish!" snapped Joe.

"Yu-Gi!" cried Téa.

"Then I'll use his head for a dart board!" continued Lara.

The smoke cleared from Yami's side of the field. "What's the matter, Noah? You look shocked."

"You should have lost the rest of your life points…" said Noah, stunned.

"Take a closer look Noah," said Yami. One of his trap cards was flipped up in front of him.

"Yes! Way to go Yug!" cheered Joe.

"Nutrient Z can only be activated when I am about to lose 2000 or more life points," said Yami. "It gave me 4000 life points right before your attack hit!" When the numbers on his duel disk stopped moving, he had 1800 life points left.

"Grrr…." growled Noah.

"You can't beat me that easy Noah! Thanks to my cards and thanks to my friends!" called Yami.

Noah laughed insanely. "Your friends will soon be nothing more than mute stone statues trapped forever in my virtual world! Your friendship is meaningless here! Your friends are seriously misguided by putting their trust in you. And I'll prove it when I beat you and escape to the real world, leaving you all trapped here. You'll all soon be nothing but motionless statues in cyber space!"

"You're full of a lot of hot air for someone so small!" snapped Joe.

"It doesn't matter what Noah does to us, we're still supporting you, Yu-Gi!" called Téa.

"Thanks to my Deck Master's special ability, I gain the life points you just lost," said Noah as his life points increased to 8200. "Then I activate Sebek's Blessing, which gives me back half of the life points that I lost last turn." This brought him up to 10500. "Then, Yamato Dragon will return to my hand, causing Spring of Rebirth to give me 500 more life points!" He now had 11000 life points total.

"He has so many life points…" moaned Serenity.

"Don't give up sis. I'm not giving up and neither is Yu-Gi," said Joe, who was still holding struggling Lara.

"And when I'm done with that I'll burn the marrow off of his bones!" she continued to fume.

_"This is getting out of hand,"_ thought Yami as he watched the counter on Noah's duel disk. _"I have to beat Noah and set us all free before its too late!"_

"It's my turn now," said Yami. "I play Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode." This monster was one of two counter parts to Gamma. It was made of silver disks and U-shaped magnets. Its stats were 1400 and 1700. "Alpha, attack his life points directly!" His newest monster fired an electro-magnetic pulse at Noah. It caused the aqua-haired boy to put a foot back to keep his balance, but Noah hardly seemed to feel the attack itself. His life points dropped to 9600.

"Yu-Gi, give it up, you can try to attack me all you want with your inferior monsters, but you'll never be able to dent my life points," said Noah.

"This duel is far from over," said Yami, coldly.

"It is for one of your friends!" said Noah, pointing at the sky once more. A ball of thunder formed and shot down at the teens.

At that moment Lara had managed to break free of Joe's grip and continue her charge against Noah. The lightning caught her before she had taken more than two steps.

"You won't get away with this!" she shrieked at Noah as her body seized up on her. She was frozen in her charged, leaning forward as if she was about to attack whatever walked in front of her. Her face was set in a furious expression.

It would be a lie to say that the remaining teens weren't a bit relieved that she wasn't going to kill someone, but they were still appalled by Noah's cruelty.

"Lara…" Serenity said, trailing off.

"I don't think I can watch much more of this," said Téa.

Now it was Joe's turn to look ticked. "Yu-Gi's going to shut this place down; then we'll all be free. So threaten whoever you want Noah!"

"Whoever I want?" asked Noah, smirking. "I guess that includes your sister, Serenity. Fine. If Yu-Gi doesn't win this turn, she's next!"

"What?!" gasped Joe. Serenity paled considerable.

"Enough Noah!" barked Yami.

"You still have a chance to save them Yu-Gi," said Noah, coyly. "All you have to do is beat me. If not, then too bad. Your friends will be a bunch of stiffs forever!" He again laughed, getting pleasure from making others suffer. "Now I summon Inaba White Rabbit to the field!" This monster looked like the animal, a white rabbit, except for the fact it was clinging to an elaborate incense burner. Its attack was 700.

"Your monster is weaker than mine," commented Yami.

"That doesn't matter!" said Noah. "Attack, Inaba White Rabbit!" His monster leapt forward like a bullet, too fast to be seen. "Inaba isn't targeting your monster. It's targeting your life points!"

"Oh no!" gasped Yami as he looked around frantically for the spirit monster. Suddenly Yami gasped in pain as the monster attacked him from the left side. He managed to keep his balance, but only just barely. His life points dropped to 1100.

"Now, Inaba, return to my hand!" ordered Noah as his monster disappeared from the playing field. "That gives me 500 life points, plus 700 more from what you just lost!" Noah now had 10800 life points.

"Come on Yug," said Joe, anxiously. He was now holding his sister tightly, as if he was trying to protect her with his own body.

"I play this card face down," said Yami as he started his next turn. A card hologram appeared directly in front of him. "Then I tribute Alpha the Magnet Warrior for my Dark Magician Girl!" His female version of the Dark Magician appeared. She had a feminine, sky blue version of the Dark Magician's armor and carried a staff like he did. Her attack was 2000, but her special ability allowed her to gain 300 attack points since there was a Dark Magician in the graveyard.

"It's not enough…" moaned Téa.

"There isn't a monster strong enough to take out all of Noah's life points with one attack," said Joe, sadly, hugging Serenity tighter.

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Noah's life point's directly!" ordered Yami.

The Dark Magician Girl raised her staff and did as she was told. Noah instinctively raised his arms to protect himself, though again he felt minimal pain from the attack, thanks to his massive life point cushion. His life points dropped to 8500.

"Is that all?" mocked Noah. "Too bad Serenity." He pointed at the sky again. The clouds grew dark as they released a blast of thunder.

"Joe get back!" exclaimed Serenity as she pushed her brother away. The lightning struck her, petrifying her with her hands still out from shoving Joe.

"Serenity!" cried Joe, running back to her. But he was too late. He slid to his knees, stunned. "No, Serenity…"

"Joe, I am so sorry," apologized Yami, who did sound depressed about the newest loss.

"If you really cared you wouldn't have let that happen," said Noah. "Now, I'm going to bring an old friend back to the field. Remember Inaba White Rabbit and its special ability?" Inaba again appeared in front of Noah.

"I do, and I am glad to see it again," smirked Yami. "Because now I can activate Dark renewal! This card allows me to sacrifice your monster along with mine to bring a spell caster back from the graveyard, and I chose to bring my Dark Magician back!" Inaba and Big Shield Gardna instantly disappeared from the field. A large coffin appeared next to the Dark Magician Girl. It opened at the Dark Magician stepped out. He smiled at his female counter part and she smiled back, though her attack points dropped back down to 2000.

Noah glared at him, since he was now unable to attack his opponent's life points directly. "I play one card face down and end my turn."

"You have no monsters and your life points are wide open for a direct attack!" said Yami. "This is the going to be the start of your downfall! Prepare to release me and my friends from your twisted game. I activate Dark Magic Ritual. This magic card lets me summon a high level monster, but at a price. I'll send Valkyrionthe Magnet Warrior from my hand to the graveyard in order to summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" His newest magician appeared beside the Dark Magician. It had spiky black hair that stuck straight out. However, it was covered by a double conical hat, shaped much like curled horns. It too carried a staff. Dark face paint decorated the area beneath its eyes. It wore a primarily black jumpsuit, though everything was trimmed slightly in dark magenta and blue. Its attack was 2800.

"Wow! Yu-Gi's never had all three of his dark magicians on the field at the same time!" exclaimed Téa.

"This is the break he needed!" cheered Joe.

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_"Come on Yu-Gi! I'm cheering for you too!"_ thought Shayla. She had tried to find a way out of the cage she was imprisoned in, but she couldn't. There wasn't even a door on the thing. It was simply two metal sheets connected by bars. _"I know I haven't been there for you guys before, but I am now, in part. And I'm going to do better to be there for you guys when you need it. First I'm going to keep my promise to Mai and not let her go through what she's going through alone. Then I'm going to learn how to use my Millennial Scales to save her. I'm not going to run from everything any more. I am going to stop being afraid so I can do what needs to be done."_ Easier said than done.

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"Attack with Triple Dark Magic Attack!" ordered Yami.

His three spellcasters put their staffs together and raised them high. Three twirling beams of magic shot forward, heading right for Noah.

"I activate Chaos Barrier Field!" shouted Noah. "This card pits your strongest monster against your weakest!" The Dark Magician Girl appeared in front of Noah.

"My Dark Magician Girl?!" gasped Yami.

The Dark Magician's attack peeled away, leaving the Magician of Black Chaos's attack charging right at Yami's Dark Magician Girl. The attack blasted her straight to the graveyard. Yami dropped to 300 life points since it was his monster that was destroyed. Noah gained what he lost, bring him back up to 9300.

"He stopped my Triple Dark Magic Attack," gaped Yami, softly.

"Bravo Yu-Gi, bravo," complimented Noah. "You have put on such a great show I see no need to continue. So I'll transform your friends back to normal and we can end this duel."

"Don't toy with me," growled Yami.

"Serenity…" said Joe, softly. Yami wasn't the only one Noah was toying with.

"I ask only one little favor from you Yu-Gi," said Noah. "Forfeit the duel and admit that I am superior to you. It seems like a small price to pay for your friends' safe return, isn't it?" Yami hesitated, like he was actually considering the offer. "Of course Seto and Mokuba will remain as they are and stay with me."

"You slimeball!" snapped Joe.

"Watch what you say," cautioned Yami.

"You'll be next," warned Téa.

"You can't play with people's lives like this…" said Joe. "Yug, you can beat this little twerp fair and square and end this sick game!"

"But what if I am defeated?" asked Yami

"You won't lose Yug!" called Joe.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion, you fool, so say goodbye!" shouted Noah, again pointing at the sky. Joe didn't even have time to react before his whole body was turned to stone from the feet up. A shocked expression froze on his face. His whole body was tense as he tried to pull away from the attack.

"NO! Joe!" screamed Yami.

"Not you too!" cried Téa, who was all alone. "Noah! You think you're really tough, don't you?!"

"Why yes," answered Noah.

"You're just a spoiled brat who's got no guts! When things aren't going your way you keep changing all the rules until they are," shouted Téa.

"Do you think I really care what you think of me Téa?" asked Noah. "I've already proven that there's no one who's better than me. Now it's up to Yu-Gi to admit the same. Then I'll gladly reverse the damage that has been done."

"I have some disappointing news for you; I still plan to win!" shouted Yami. Noah's newest atrocity only seemed to fuel him.

"You do?! Then suit yourself! I tried to make things easy for you, but you choose the hard way!" shouted Noah. "I play one monster face down in defense mode. Since there's no way I can lose, there's no harm in showing you the card I'm about to play, so get ready. When your turn starts, I'll use Ground Breaker to bring back one of my spirit monsters, a little critter known as Inaba White Rabbit. He possesses 700 attack points, which is more than enough to wipe you out. Once it attacks you directly, you're finished." He slid the card into one of the empty magic slots on his duel disk. "Now make your final move Yu-Gi."

"You haven't won this yet, Noah!" called Yami.

"I already have! Now I activate Ground Breaker!" declared Noah. The ground shook and spit Inaba White Rabbit out of the graveyard right into Noah's hand. "You won't last once I summon this to the field!"

"Too bad you won't be able to!" snapped Yami. "Because now I activate Card Destruction. This magic card forces us to discard our entire hand and draw a new one! Your Inaba White Rabbit is back in the graveyard where it belongs!"

"I knew you could still win this!" called Téa.

"Now, Magician of Black Chaos, attack his face down monster!" ordered Yami.

His magician did as it was told. When the blast hit Noah's monster, it was revealed to be another Otohime. She was instantly sent to the graveyard.

"Too bad, you activate her special ability, which allows me to force one of your monster to change battle positions," said Noah. "So I move your Dark Magician to defense mode. Then I activate the card Vessel of Illusions to bring her back to the field in defense mode. You won't win this Yu-Gi. You don't have any more good moves left, and you hardly have any friends left. Soon they'll all be nothing both silent statues! So you can start saying your good-byes to Téa now."

"In your dreams you creep!" shouted Téa. "Yu-Gi's going to crush you! Then he'll set us all free! You hear that!"

"Tea…" said Yami, surprised.

"I'll spare you for one more turn. So you can witness Yu-Gi's defeat and see just how wrong you are," said Noah, laughing. He drew a card to start his next turn. "I play Change of Heart to take control of one of your monsters. And I think I'll chose your favorite monster, the Dark Magician!"

The Dark Magician got a dazed look in its eyes and crossed the field to join Noah's side. Yami looked horrified.

"Now I have two monsters to tribute, in order to summon the strongest spirit monster of them all, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!" shouted Noah. This monster looked like a muscle builder had been engulfed in flames. Its stats were 2800 and 2900. "Then I equip it with Flaming Fist, which increases its attack points by 200! Now, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack the Magician of Black Chaos!"

A wave of solid fire swept across the elevated dueling area. The Magician of Black Chaos was instantly incinerated. Yami felt it too and collapsed from the heat. His life points dropped back down to a sliver at 100. He struggled back to his feet, breathing hard.

Noah laughed, again enjoying another's pain. "Now I play the card Spiritual Energy Settle Machine! This allows me to keep my Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi on the field at the end of the turn! You won't be able to summon a monster strong enough to beat it! Ha!"

Noah also gained the life points Yami lost from that turn, bring him up to 10,000. It was now 100 life points versus 10,000. Noah had a powerful monster on the field, while Yami had no monsters period. Virtually everyone had been turned to stone. It didn't look good. Yami was also struggling to stay on his feet. Virtual duels were as devastating as a Shadow Game.

"You might as well stay down Yu-Gi, its all over," gloated Noah.

"Don't listen to him Yu-Gi!" called Téa.

"Silence!" ordered Noah, pointing at the sky. The bolt of lightning struck her, petrifying her from the ground up.

Téa held her hand up as if she was reaching for her friend. "Yu-Gi, I still believe!" she called before she was completely turned to stone.

"Téa!" gasped Yami. The pressure got to him and he completely blacked out.

"That should quiet things down a bit," said Noah. "If you could speak Yu-Gi, I'm sure you'd admit now that I'm the better duelist. You have no monsters in play, no cards in your hand, and no friends to cheer you on, you're all alone now Yu-Gi, there's no one left to support you."

_/That's not true!/_ called Yu-Gi to Yami.

_/Yu-Gi…/_ said Yami, still sounding a bit dazed. Yu-Gi was standing over him/

_/As long as I'm here, you can't be alone. I'm not the only one who's here, come on,/_ Yu-Gi said, extending a hand. Yami reached out and took it. There was a bring flash of light and they both entered Yami's soul room.

"You have to do is look inside your heart and inside your mind and you'll that your friends are never far. They're all right here," Yu-Gi said as he led Yami to one of the many doors in his soul room.

"I don't see anyone," commented Yami.

"In here," said Yu-Gi. He opened it and they both entered. The room was completely empty and completely bare.

"I've never seen this room before Yu-Gi," said Yami, who sounded a bit puzzled.

"It holds your recent memories," explained Yu-Gi. Figures began to form in the room. They were all of his friends, looking how they normally looked, smiling.

"Joe! Téa! And Tristan! Kevin! Duke and Serenity! Drake and Lara!" gasped Yami. "I think I understand now."

"As long as our friends are in our thoughts, they'll never be too far away," said Yu-Gi.

"Hear that pal? We'll always be right here in your mind, not matter what," said Joe.

"That's right," agreed Téa. "You may not remember your ancient past yet, but you still remember us."

"We said we got your back and we meant it," said Duke.

"You really didn't think we were going to leave you alone now, did you?" asked Tristan.

"We're still cheering for you, even though you can't hear us," added Lara.

"We all have complete faith in you," said Serenity.

"Like you're always telling us, you have to have faith in your friends and your deck," said Drake.

"You just can't give up now," said Kevin. "You have one turn, and one turn can change everything."

"That's true. But I'm afraid I have nothing left to fight with," said Yami, sadly.

"That's pathetic! Are you telling me my future is in the hands of a quitter?" snapped Seto Kaiba, walking up from behind him with Mokuba.

"Kaiba! Mokuba!" exclaimed Yami.

"You can't let that little punk Noah win this duel Yu-Gi," said Kaiba.

"I know…"

"Then get back in the game and face him like a man. Remember, you have my cards too. With the power of my deck in your hands you can't lose," said Seto.

It then dawned on Yami what he was talking about. "There may still be a chance. It lies in Kaiba's deck!"

(AN/ Congratulations! This is the precise spot of page 200 of Shayla's Story 3!)

"Don't mess up. You only got one shot left," warned Kaiba.

Yami turned around in a slow circle, looking at the faces of all of his friends. They all had complete confidence that he would still win the duel. Yet another figure approached him when he had completed the circle.

"Shayla?!" Yami gasped. "Where have you been?!" He had completely forgotten about her in all the chaos, but his subconscious mind had not.

"I've been cheering for you too, even though you haven't heard me," she answered.

"So go out there and win this!" added Mokuba.

Yami woke up. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted. "I will save my friends, just watch me," he said to Noah as he stood up.

"You still insist on humiliating yourself, don't you?" taunted Noah.

"I won't stop until you're defeated, Noah!" countered Yami as he drew a card to start his next turn. He instantly slid it into his duel disk. "I activate Card of Sanctity! This card allows us each to draw until we have six cards in out hands!"

"Yu-Gi," he heard Joe say.

"We're all here," said Téa.

"Draw six cards," said Tristan.

"One from each of us," said Drake.

Yami could clearly see each of his friend standing around his deck with their hands over it. They all selected a card off of the top and handed it to him.

"I hope this helps," said Serenity as she handed the card to her brother.

"That's right pal," said Joe as he passed the card to Yami.

"Don't quit," said Mokuba, who drew the next card and handed it to his older brother.

"Take this," said Kaiba as he passed the card to Shayla.

"I know you'll use it well," she said as she handed him the second card.

"Here you go," said Téa, giving Yami his third card.

"This one is for you," said Tristan, drawing a card and passing it to Duke.

"Now give that brat a spanking!" said Duke as he handed the fourth card to Yami.

Lara was the next to draw, "You'll need this." She passed the card to Drake.

"Show Noah what friendship is all about," said Drake has he handed Yami the fifth card.

"This one ought to come in handy," said Kevin as he handed the last card to Yu-Gi.

"We're with you, Yami," said Yu-Gi as he handed his alter-ego the final card. "No matter what."

_" The hearts of all of our friends are in these six cards," _thought Yami. He turned his attention back to Noah. "I feel sorry for you Noah. Thanks to the support of my friends I'm about to defeat you, that is something you will never understand."

"You're bluffing!" challenged Noah. "I have a hundred times as many life points as you, and your friends are nothing more than rocks!"

"Their hearts are with me, and they're going to help me bring down you!" shouted Yami. "First I activate Monster Reborn to bring back the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" Kaiba's favorite monster reappeared on the duel field with a loud bellow. "Since we continued this duel from when you and Kaiba left off, the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon is still in the graveyard since you destroyed it with Shinato!"

"It's still not enough," said Noah.

"I'm not done yet! I now activate Polymerization to fuse that Blue-Eyes with the two in my hand to create the Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon!" shouted Yami. The air around the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon shimmered as it sprouted two more heads. Its attack was increased to 4500. "This is the strongest monster in Kaiba's deck, so I only think it's fitting that it's the one to bring you down!"

"You can't attack me this turn! It's a fusion monster!" snapped Noah.

"Yes, under normal circumstances. But I activate the magic card Quick Attack, which allows it to attack this turn!" said Yami. "Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon, attack the Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi with Neutron Blast!"

All three heads of the fusion monster pulled back and fired an intense beam at Noah's spirit monster. Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi was reduced to ashes. It took 1700 of Noah's life points with it to the graveyard, bringing him down to 8300.

"You still haven't won! And it's my turn!" snapped Noah.

"No it's not," said Yami, smiling. "I now activate De-Fusion, splitting the Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon into the three Blue-Eyes, White Dragons that were used to create it!"

"Oh no!" gasped Noah.

"Attack with Triple White Lightning! For Kaiba and Mokuba and all my friends as well, Blue-Eyes, White Dragons attack! Wipe him out! This madness is finally over Noah!" ordered Yami.

"No! Wait! There must be something I can do!" cried Noah.

"You've been exposed as the frightened child you truly are," said Yami as the attacks connected, completely covering Noah in heat and light. His life points hit 0.

"That's impossible! I can't lose!" gasped Noah, falling to his knees.

"You just did! So my friends are now free!" called Yami.

As he spoke the stone around his friends fell away, reviving them.

Téa gasped. "Yu-Gi! You did it!"

"Serenity!" exclaimed Joe, instantly running to her.

"Joe!" she called back, embracing him.

"Lara?! Are you okay?" called Drake, hurrying to her.

Lara spun around, a bit dazed. "Drake!" She ran to him and hugged him tightly, kissing him soundly. He returned the favor.

"I'm back to normal!" cheered monkey Tristan. "Well, almost…"

"Are all the girls okay?" asked Kevin, looking around.

Even the Kaiba brothers recovered.

(AN/ Yippie! xhuggles Kaiba plushie and stops cryingx)

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, finishing the two steps to him.

"Mokuba…" said Kaiba as they embraced as well.

"Well, it looks to me like everything is back to normal around here," said Duke. "It must mean Yu-Gi won the duel."

"What? What duel?" asked Kaiba, looking around.

"Your duel," answered Téa. "Yu-Gi took over when you and Mokuba were turned to stone. He combined your deck with his deck to beat Noah."

Kaiba looked at his deck, realizing it was empty. "My deck?! He dueled…using my cards?!" growled Kaiba, on the border of fury.

Kevin, having experienced it first hand, quickly put distance between himself and the CEO.

The floating rocky platforms supporting Yami and Noah were slowly lowering to the ground.

"You've been defeated Noah! Not just by me, but by all of us!" said Yami. "For it was only with the support of my friends that I was able to win this duel and the more you tried to destroy that friendship the stronger it grew."

"This isn't how it was supposed to happen at all," moaned Noah, who showed no signs of getting up.

"Listen to me Noah," called Yami as the platform hit the ground. "You have been all alone in this virtual world for six years, it's distorted your mind."

_"He's right,"_ thought Noah. _ "I have been stuck in this digital wasteland for too long, Maybe I despise Yu-Gi and his friends so much is because they share a bond I have never experienced. So I tried to eliminate their friendship to show them what it's like to be me. But they'll never understand." _He raised his head a few hairs."No one will…my life was stolen from me…"

_"After my accident my brain was digitized into one of my father's super computers, only to be forgotten about,"_ Noah continued to lament._ "He promised me everything and left me with nothing!" _

"It's not fair!" shouted Noah. "I should be the president of Kaiba Corp.! I would be if Seto hadn't robbed me of my life! I want it back!"

"Who's the one who's robbing who's body?" challenged Kevin, who had been listening.

Noah jumped to his feet and charged Yami. He put his hands on Yami's chest and began to force his way in side, like two overlapping holograms.

"And I'll start by escaping to the real world in your body! From now on I'm you!" shouted Noah as he tried to take over Yami's mind. However, it wasn't that easy. Noah was met with flashes of ancient Egypt, as well as the power of the Millennial Puzzle."What…what's this?! Who are you?" But the only answer he got was more images of Yami as the pharaoh of ancient Egypt and visions of all of the Millennial Items. "Answer me! Your mind is full of secrets!"

_"I can see the secrets in his mind as well!" _gasped Yami as he looked into Noah's memories. He could see all of them, laying unconscious, in virtual pods in a high tech looking room with steel walls.

Against one wall was Mokuba, Kaiba, Shayla, himself, Joe, and Kevin. Against the other was Tristan, Serenity, Duke, Téa, Drake, and Lara.

_"That's us! But where are we?!" _wondered Yami. "What have you done?!"

"Let me in!" demanded Noah. But there was a bright surge from the Millennial Puzzle. It shoved Noah back about fifty feet.

"What are you?! You're not like the others!" exclaimed Noah.

Yami was saved from answering when his friends raced over.

"Yu-Gi! Are you okay?!" called Téa.

"Enough with the rotten tricks already!" growled Kevin.

"Try touching me!" threatened Joe, raising a fist.

"Violence is not going to get us out of here," said Serenity.

"Yeah, but it would definitely make us feel better," commented Duke.

"You have failed Noah, so it's time to set us all free!" said Yami.

"And give me my real body back!" added monkey Tristan.

"So you want your body back?" asked Noah, chuckling. "Your real body is exactly where it's been since you arrived!"

"What does that mean?" asked Lara.

"Enough of the games Noah!" demanded Drake.

"Don't you get it?" retorted Noah. "There are no 'real bodies' in my world. Everything here is virtual that means all of you as well."

"I don't get it," said Joe.

"No surprise there…" muttered Tristan in monkey, which saved him from being pounded.

"I do," said Drake. "We're not only trapped in a virtual world, we're all a part of it as well."

"Exactly," said Noah. "Your real bodies are strapped in cyber pods that are hardwired to my virtual stimulator. So everything you've experienced here has only happened in your minds."

"That's why it seems so real here. Our minds are being tricked into seeing things that aren't really there," commented Téa.

"Of course!" exclaimed Kaiba. "When the floor opened up we didn't fall into a virtual vortex. We were knocked unconscious and locked in your cyber stimulation pods."

"And what about me?" asked Kevin. He was ignored.

"Well, it's about time you keep your end of the deal and let us all out of here, Noah!" said Lara.

Mokuba had squirmed his way through the crowd and was looking around. He frowned, not seeing what he was looking for. "Hey guys, where's Shayla?"

"Huh?" asked the group, all of them looking around.

"She isn't here!" exclaimed Joe.

"Who? Is someone missing?" asked Kevin.

"Yeah…" replied Duke.

"Has anyone seen her?!" demanded Kaiba.

"Not me," replied Serenity.

"Not since we got here," added Lara.

"Absolutely no one has seen any sign of her?" asked Yami.

"Not at all," said Drake. "I guess we forgot about her in the confusion…"

"Yeah, we were all so worried about finding everyone, the finding Tristan, then hunting down Kaiba and Mokuba…" Téa trailed off.

"You mean she could still be anywhere, wandering in the virtual nightmare?" groaned Joe.

"She could be in major trouble!" said Tristan, half in chimp.

"I hope she's okay…" said Mokuba.

"All right Noah, where is she?!" demanded Kaiba, turning his icy gaze on the green-haired kid.

"What? You mean the blind girl?" asked Noah, apathetically.

"Where is she?" growled Kaiba.

"She hasn't been here since the beginning," lied Noah. "No one was interested in taking over a body with an imperfection like that, so I let her go back to the real world."

"Imperfection?" asked Kevin.

Kaiba was steaming, though the others could not figure out why. "That's a lie! Where is she?!"

"Kaiba, calm down," said Téa. "What Noah is saying makes sense."

"He's lying," said Kaiba with gritted teeth, not taking his eyes off of his step-brother.

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Shayla's jaw dropped. "I really don't believe this. Of all people there, the first one to notice I am missing is Mokuba! I guess that shows who really is worried about me." She bit her lip. "Guys, don't buy Noah's lie. I'm still trapped here, just like you are. Listen to Kaiba for once."

She suddenly stiffened. She could hear footsteps approaching. They were heavy and unfamiliar, though she could tell they probably belong to a man.

"I've had enough of this," the person growled. Shayla could tell by his voice that her first instincts had been right. The stranger was a man. He walked right up to the control panel and began to press a few buttons.

Shayla was about to ask who he was when he muttered to himself again.

"Noah, your failures will not be tolerated. It is time for me to take control!" he snapped.

Shayla involuntarily gasped. She recognized the voice, even though it was one she had only heard from virtual play-backs.

_"Gozaburo Kaiba…"_ she thought, blown away. _"Oh no…Oh no…Someone help. I am in **so** much trouble!"_

The virtual world began to react as Gozaburo commanded it. The sky grew an unnatural violent violet color. Shayla could hear the duelists gasping in surprise and bewilderment. They were all in trouble.

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AN/ This is official the longest chapter I have EVER written. never again! I really should have turned it into two chapters, but I couldn't stand see Kaiba as a statue that long! And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! J


	12. The Escape

"Now what?" groaned Joe as the sky turned violent violet. The clouds thickened almost instantly. Not only was it unnatural, it was eerie.

"You have failed me for the last time Noah!" shouted a deep voice.

"That voice! It can't be!" gasped Kaiba, his blue eyes going wide.

"Father! No! Give me another chance!" protested Noah, shouting up at the sky.

"Too late for that!" shouted the voice. The clouds parted and a face appeared in the sky. It was of a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. However, that was all anyone could tell, since they couldn't see a body.

"Gozaburo!" exclaimed Mokuba, who was beyond shock.

"What?! What is he doing here?" asked Drake.

"Out of the frying pan into the fire…" muttered Kevin.

"Wait! Not yet! I need time!" Noah continued to protest.

"More time! Grrr!" growled Gozaburo. "You've had more than enough time to prove yourself! It's time for me to finish things off now! That's why I digitized my own mind when Seto disgraced me by taking over my company. I wanted revenge! Now the time has come!"

"Digitized his own mind?!" gasped Duke.

"So, you've been behind this the whole time!" snapped Kaiba.

"He has! Right father?" said Noah, happily. "And now you're going to give Kaiba Corp. to me!"

"You had your chance Noah!" snapped Gozaburo. Noah gasped in surprise. "And you failed, son!"

Mokuba looked at his step-brother sympathetically. Noah had been cruel to them, but that had only been for one day. The Kaiba brothers had to put up with Gozaburo's cruelty for years. They were against him above everyone else.

"Look pops, you had your chance also!" shouted Kaiba. "You failed when you lost Kaiba Corp. to someone more fit for the job!"

"I taught you everything you know, Seto! You fool!" countered Gozaburo.

"That explains a lot," muttered Joe.

"You thought you could outsmart me! It's about time you learned the truth about why I adopted you," growled Gozaburo. "When you beat me at chess I thought you'd be the perfect person to motivate my real son, Noah, who was quite a slacker."

"You just used him!?" cried Téa.

"People aren't pawns, chess head!" shouted Lara.

"How mean!" agreed Serenity.

"Talk about dysfunctional," muttered Tristan, mingling with monkey chatter.

"Noah needed to work harder on his studies," continued Gozaburo in the sky. "I thought Seto could give him the push he needed to take over Kaiba Corp., but then he had his accident and his body was rendered useless. I tried to preserve his mind in cyber space, but I soon realized he'd be the same spoiled brat, unworthy of inheriting my company!"

"You only have yourself to blame for that!" shouted Drake.

"Yeah," agreed Lara. "That's Noah's problem. Not enough spankings when he was little."

Gozaburo continued as if he had not heard them. "So I turned my attention to you, Seto! I thought that maybe you could be the heir to my fortune. So I pushed you to your limit!"

"That was child abuse," growled Téa.

"You gave up on your own son and left me all alone in cyber space!" cried Noah, who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Poor guy…" muttered Mokuba.

"Not at first, originally I thought I could use Seto to help you," said Gozaburo.

"You? Help someone?" asked Joe, incredulously.

"Use me?!" exclaimed Seto. "And what was it you were planning on doing with me, Gozaburo?!"

"Even if Noah could learn to run a multi-billion dollar corporation, he lacked one major thing, a body!" explained Gozaburo, heartlessly. "And that's where you came in Seto."

There were gasps from all over the field at this news. Kaiba seemed to be the most horrified of all.

"That's sick!" exclaimed Téa, finding her voice. "You were going to transfer Noah's mind to Kaiba?!"

"Talk about a fate worse than death…" muttered Kevin.

"I think it's time we bail," said Joe. "These whack jobs keep getting nuttier!"

"Relax, that plan only lasted a short time. Noah's mind," chuckled Gozaburo. "Why would I give you Noah's mind when yours was perfectly fine? So I concentrated on training you, Seto. I thought you could inherit my empire, but then you stole it! So using the same technology I used to download Noah's mind into my computer network, I digitized my own mind into cyber space to plot my revenge. Then I built this place for my final plan. I'll take over your body myself!"

"He's mental!" gasped Duke.

"Father…so you used me to trap them here…" said Noah, who was completely horrified.

"That was the only thing you did right!" accused Gozaburo. "But I'll take it from here! The fun and games are over!"

"You snake!" shouted Seto.

"I can't believe that you have the nerve to call me a snake!" retorted Gozaburo. "I'm the most powerful human being on this entire planet, until you came along and stole that power away form me Seto!"

"Okay, this guy is not right in the head," said Joe.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "I agree. We must be careful."

"Don't you realize that I treated you better than my own son?!" Gozaburo shouted at Kaiba, once again ignoring everyone else

"That's not saying a lot," muttered Lara.

"Thanks…for nothing," retorted Kaiba. "And I'll make sure you never regain your power!"

"You're too late!" A screen showing a satellite in orbit appeared next to his large head.

"What's that?" asked Tristan.

"Hahaha, just look! It's part of my newest plan!" laughed Gozaburo. "It's one of the many satellites Kaiba Corp. put into orbit when I was still in charge."

"What are you going to do with that?" asked Joe, skeptically.

"I can guarantee you it won't be good," said Drake, noticing the look on Gozaburo's enormous face.

"These satellites can beam signals to every computer system on earth and back to my underwater base that holds my super computers," explained Gozaburo. "No one on earth will escape me! I'll have access to every home on the planet! Hahaha!"

"Pull-eze!" said Noah. "That has to be the most ridiculous plan I have ever heard!"

"I'm surprised you feel that way, Noah," said Gozaburo. "After all, the idea came from you, remember my son?"

Noah's eyes went wide. "NO!" He had told his father that he could expand the virtual world by connecting to other networks, but he had never intended it to be used like this. He only wanted to fix the glitches in his world.

"And so Seto, I'm no longer interested in taking control of your body to regain Kaiba Corp., I've set my sights on bigger things!" said Gozaburo.

"Lunatic," muttered Seto.

"No, he makes lunatics look sane," said Duke.

"Believe whatever you want to about me Seto," said Gozaburo. "Because once my plan works, I'll be the most powerful being on the planet once again! No one on earth will be able to stop me this time! Seto! Noah! This is about so much more than acquiring just one company! When I'm finished, everyone on earth will become virtual! I plan to digitize the entire world! And I will reign as the cyber ruler of a new planet earth!" He continued to laugh insanely as his face vanished from the clouds.

"Get back here now!" ordered Kaiba. He got no response.

"That has got to be the most absurd plan I have ever heard," said Duke.

"The worst part is, Gozaburo Kaiba is serious about it," said Drake.

"Gee, that guy makes Kaiba look humble and Noah look sane," commented Kevin.

"What do we do now?" asked Joe.

"We get out of here!" replied Lara.

CRASH! A bolt of thunder struck the ground right in the middle of the cluster of teens. They were fortunate enough that no one got hit. Though they were all more than surprised. One would think they would be numb to surprises after a day in the virtual world, but that wasn't the way.

"No! I don't want to be a stone monkey," complained Tristan.

"It's my father!" exclaimed Noah. With that he began to pulse with bright energy. The teens gasped and shielded their eyes as it engulfed them. By the time the next bolt of thunder hit they were all gone.

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Shayla had the look of a cornered animal. She had heard everything Gozaburo had said to her friends, since he was still using the terminal below her. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy about what she heard. In fact, that was a major understatement. Every instinct was telling her to get out, but there was no way she could. She still had absolutely no idea why Noah had taken her prisoner in the first place, which continued to bother her.

"That traitor," grumbled Gozaburo as the group disappeared from his screen. Then he smirked. "Luckily, I have a back-up plan." His eyes swept across the room and landed on Shayla.

Shayla didn't notice this. However, she couldn't miss what happened next, even though she couldn't see. She could feel as everything around her dissolved as Gozaburo took both of them to a different place. The cage floor disappeared from beneath her. Shayla tensed up for a moment, but she hit the ground before she could scream. She hated the sudden falling sensation, it caused her acrophobia to kick in. She knew no matter how many times it happened, she could never get used to a world where the very ground you were walking on vanished beneath your feet.

Shayla stood up quickly. As she pushed against the ground her sensitive fingertips could tell that the ground was now covered in a thick carpet. She stood, her legs grateful to stretch. The cage had been too small for her to do more than sit. She could sense nothing else defining about the place she had been taken too.

"Welcome to my office," said Gozaburo, turning his attention to her.

Shayla, remembering her promise to herself, took a deep breath to try and steady her jangling nerves. It did little to help. Her hands were still clenched tight, one around her backpack, the other around the virtual walking stick.

"What do you want with me?" asked Shayla, trying to keep her voice level.

"You personally? Nothing," replied Gozaburo in a calm business-like tone. "However, I am very interested in your rescuer. Noah might have hidden them all from my grasp at this moment. But I know he won't leave this world without you."

Once again, Shayla was stunned. _"He's using me for bait?! I'm the bait here?!" _ She seemed to be having a hard time processing that information. _"But…why me? Everyone forgot about me. I can't be the best choice for bait…Me?! A…a…a hostage?!"_

"You seemed shocked," smirked Gozaburo.

"You won't get away with any of this," she said with more determination than she felt.

Gozaburo laughed. "I already have." Shayla could hear his heavy footsteps walking towards her. "And there's nothing you or your friends can do about it. You are all prisoners in my virtual world, and soon the entire world will join you!"

Shayla said nothing; she just continued to tighten her grip around the items in her hands. Gozaburo was close now; she was guessing about seven feet up and to her right.

"I've sealed every exit to reality, none of you will ever escape!" Gozaburo continued. "Not even Noah will be able to get past my barricades. Now there's only one matter to deal with before I become the most powerful man in cyber—!"

WHAM! SNAP!

Gozaburo was suddenly cut short when Shayla lashed out with her walking stick. When she got very stressed and cornered, Shayla acted exactly a trapped animal. Just like she had done in the Duelist Kingdom, she aimed high and managed to hit him directly on the right side of his head. The snap was from the virtual walking stick breaking completely in two from the force of connecting with Gozaburo's skull. The end piece sailed across the room and landed with a clatter against the wall. Gozaburo brought a hand to his face, feeling the welt that had formed there. Shayla was breathing a bit heavier than usual, a bit taken back by her actions.

Gozaburo glared venomously at her. Lucky for Shayla, she wasn't able to see it.

"I've been more than fair!" he growled.

Shayla cut him off before he could say more. "You don't know what fair is. Trust me. I know fair."

"You need to learn respect!" snapped Gozaburo.

A sudden tremor through the ground threw Shayla off of her feet. She fell backwards, bracing herself with her hands. Beneath her fingertips the thick carpet dissolved, replaced by very familiar cold steel. The room dissolved around them as well, though they didn't travel very far. They were now in the room of Kaiba Corp. with the very first ever holo-field.

Shayla braced her hands against the cage bottom as she felt it start to swing from side to side. Her equilibrium was telling her that the entire cage was being raised into the air. That wasn't good for someone with a fear of heights. When it finally stopped Shayla could tell she was a considerable distance from the floor, which wasn't very reassuring.

"You'll remain up there until I need you!" snapped Gozaburo. The location of the sound of his voice only confirmed how high she was. "Consider it punishment for your brazen behavior!" With that he turned and walked away. There was a loud thud as two thick doors closed behind him.

_"I am in **so** much trouble,"_ thought Shayla.

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Noah was leading everyone else through a dimly lit underground cavern. The low light cast a blue hue on everything. The teens were all following him, somewhat uncertainly.

"Gozaburo can't get away with this," Noah was saying. "You have to stop him, and I know the way out so follow me."

"And why should we believe you, Noah?" asked Joe, skeptically.

"I'm with Joe on this," said Kevin. "It's been nothing but one deception after another in here."

"What choice do we have?" sighed Duke.

"That's another good point," groaned Téa.

The end of the cave came into view. There, oddly, sat a large computer terminal. It was a virtual world, no one said it had to make sense.

"There it is! A possible exit!" exclaimed Noah, racing to it. He hit a few buttons. His shoulders slumped forward, disappointed. "Never mind, this is one of several remote network stations built by my father. It can give us access to all of the program's emergency exits, but it appears that my father has locked the system and closed off every exit to prevent us from escaping. When he showed up again after so many years he promised to help me. But he was lying. My father was using me." Noah was still somewhat in shock over his father's betrayal.

"_Gozaburo treated Noah the same way he treated Seto, with no respect!" _thought Mokuba. "Noah…are you okay?"

"Are you sure you used the right password?" asked Drake.

"Are you sure there are no other exits around here?" asked Joe.

"Yeah, maybe there's a way out of here you're not thinking of," agreed Téa.

"Enough of this monkey business, I want to wake up in my own body!" added Tristan.

"Don't worry, Tristan," reassured Serenity.

"We got to stop his old man from digitizing the world!" continued Joe.

"And we can't do that from in here," finished Téa.

Noah chuckled. "Very perceptive."

"Are you sure that psycho plan of Gozaburo's is even going to work in the first place?" asked Lara, mostly to herself.

"Every virtual reality program has more than one emergency exit system, so why don't you try thinking harder, Noah!" snapped Kaiba, who was starting to sink into angry mode.

"What's wrong Seto?" asked Noah, sounding a bit out of it. "Don't you want to stay a while? I won't be alone in this virtual world for very much longer." He started laughing, and laughing hard. It was an insane laugh. "My father says he's bringing the whole world in here, and that means I never have to be alone again! We'll be one big happy family!" He continued to laugh.

Mokuba walked up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and started shaking him. "Noah stop! You have to get a hold of yourself! You're in danger too and we all have to work together now!"

"Moki, you're right," answered Noah. But he didn't use his own voice. He used Kaiba's voice from when he was twelve.

"Seto?!" gasped Mokuba, pulling away. He turned away from Noah, desperately shaking his head. _"Now I think I'm going nuts!"_

"Calm down Mokuba, it's me," said Noah in his own voice.

"I can see that Noah!" snapped Mokuba, turning completely away from him. _"I know Noah is an evil jerk, but it's not his fault, maybe we can help him."_

"What are you trying to pull now, Noah?" asked Kevin.

"Just let us out of here! We had a deal!" snapped Duke.

"Calm down guys," encouraged Yami.

"Wait a second…something has just occurred to me," said Noah. "There's one more escape route here."

"Where is it?!" demanded Joe.

"Tell me!" ordered Kaiba.

"You had better not be lying!" added Lara.

"It's a doorway that I created and it leads directly to the real world," explained Noah. "I'm quite sure my father has no idea that it exists. You can escape and warn the world of his plan."

"Then what are we waiting around here for? Let's go!" cheered Joe.

_"Why would Noah make a door he would never be able to use?"_ wondered Drake. _"Is this a trick? Well…maybe he did it because he was bored, which is within the realm of possibilities. We still have to be careful."_

"We're waiting," said monkey Tristan.

"Then follow me," said Noah as he started back-tracking, walking through the group. _"Once I claim a body I'll be making my escape alone."_

"Guys, Shayla is still missing," commented Mokuba.

"Yeah, that's right," said Téa, biting her lower lip. "Where could she be?"

"I already answered that," said Noah. "We let her go back to the real world a long time ago."

"I'm finding that hard to believe," said Kevin, who had more experience in Noah's tricks than the rest.

Noah shrugged. "No one wanted to bother with her. Her body wasn't suited for use."

"How mean!" protested Serenity.

"I don't believe you Noah," growled Seto, his hands clenched into tight fists. "You're lying! Where is she!?"

"Kaiba, chill," said Joe, which earned him the death glare.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Lara. Kaiba didn't answer her, he was too busy focusing on Noah.

"I told you, she's in reality now and you can all join her soon," said Noah. He looked back at the group and noticed all of their disbelieving expressions. "That's the truth! And the truth doesn't change based on who believes it and who doesn't!"

Kaiba was so surprised he actually stopped walking. _"That is exactly the kind of thing Shayla would say! She's the one who cares about truth. Noah wouldn't know what truth was if his life depended on it!"_

"Now I know you're lying, Noah!" growled Kaiba. The edge in his tone was enough to cause the whole group to stop and stare.

"Believe what you like," shrugged Noah. He wasn't exactly sure why he was still playing his father's game and not letting them know about Shayla, but he was a bit annoyed at her about everything she said to him.

"Joe's right, you need to chill, Kaiba," said Drake as they continued to follow Noah.

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Things were still happening in the real world. The blimp had been locked in the hangar, but that didn't stop everyone. Yami Marik stepped off of the blimp and looked around at the cold steel walls.

_"What is keeping those fools?"_ thought Yami Marik, with his temper flaring._ "I am sick of waiting. I want to claim the power of the pharaoh!"_ He entered the first hallway he came to. However, he didn't get far before his way was barred._ "What's this? A locked door? This might hold some answers…"_

A number pad was next to the door. He hit some random numbers.

"Incorrect password," said a feminine computer voice. A thick glass case slid over the number pad, preventing him from trying again.

(AN/ Celebration! This spot marks the 500th page of the entire Shayla Saga! xthrows a big partyx)

If Yami Marik was mad before, he was fuming now. He pounded the glass case with his fist, but it didn't break. However, it did have another effect. An alarm started to sound. Responding to the call, several robots hurried to the source of the problem.

"Intruder alert, Intruder alert!" said the robots.

Yami Marik looked at them for a moment, then started laughing. "Come get me!"

The robots were a build a bit like a cream colored beetle that had been folded over, then made to walk up right. They scuttled along on needle-like legs that didn't seem to fit the rest of the body. The upper bodies were covered in thick armor. Every arm totted a powerful, high-tech gun. They opened fire.

Yami Marik raised the Millennial Rod. Not only did he cause the attacks to be reflected, he added his own power as well. The robots were reduced to smoldering scrap metal.

"Well that was amusing. Now to find those fools!" he said to himself.

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"It's not to far from here," said Noah to the duelists as they continued to travel through the cave. They were now walking up a slight incline. Noah was leading, followed closely by Mokuba. Joe and Duke were next, keeping an eye on him. Drake and Lara were behind them, walking hand in hand. Serenity and Téa were walking together, Serenity still holding monkey Tristan. Kevin was with them, looking for an opportunity to flirt. Yami was hanging back with Seto Kaiba.

"Kaiba, something's not right," Yami said. "I think Noah's lying to us. He's not to be trusted."

"Try telling me something I don't already know Yu-Gi," replied Kaiba.

"If you are so sure this is a trick then why are you following him?"

"I was always taught to keep my enemies close by."

The cave suddenly ended. Bright sunlight pierced the underground gloom. The blue stones gave way to yellow sand. The group had reentered the desert section of the virtual world.

_/Maybe Kaiba's wrong. Maybe Noah is trying to help us now,/_ Yu-Gi said to Yami.

_/But why?/_ asked Yami.

_/His dad betrayed him again, so Noah must want to stop him as much as we do./_

_/Perhaps./_

_/Come to think of it, Noah and Kaiba really have a lot in common,/ _continued Yu-Gi._ /They were both mistreated by Gozaburo, and they need our help our help to defeat him./_

_/You're right, we're all on the same team now, so why don't you take it from here?/_ Yami suggested.

_/Sure,/_ said Yu-Gi as he took back control.

Noah led them into a deep canyon in the middle of the desert. This seemed to make Téa a bit jumpy. She kept glancing up at the edges of the high, sandstone walls around them.

"Are you okay, Téa?" asked Kevin.

"Fine…just fine…" she stammered.

"Are you sure? Something seems to be bothering you," said Kevin.

"It's just…well…this is a bad place for us to be, we might be ambushed," she managed to say. She didn't know how to word the fact that Hitotsu-Me Giants lived in the area.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," said Kevin.

"Oh brother," groaned monkey Tristan.

"All right, where is this exit already?" asked Joe, impatiently.

"There," said Noah, gesturing to the back wall of the canyon. A large door was embedded into the rocks. It stood out. The bricks around the door were grey, while the canyon was sandy yellow. It looked like someone had set part of a wall of a medieval castle in the middle of the canyon. "Your freedom lies beyond this door. Once you walk through you'll wake up in the real world."

"You had better be keeping your word, Noah," threatened Lara in a low voice.

"I don't know about this guys…" said Téa, trailing off.

"I agree," said Drake. "Can we have some kind of—"

Before he could finish, the door swung open on its own, engulfing them all in a blinding white light. There were cries of surprise as they all shielded their eyes from the flash. The world around them dissolved.

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_"What's going to happen now?"_ wondered Shayla. Since she was no longer in the surveillance room, she couldn't hear what was going on. She was worried about the others and she was worried about herself. Shayla was starting to have doubts if they would ever escape. She knew they would never be able unless Noah or Gozaburo allowed them, and the odds of them doing their were minuscule.

_"Don't forget me guys,"_ she thought, desperately. _"I need your help to get out of here!"_ Her lips were moving silently in a prayer for all of them.

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Things weren't going much better for everyone else. Noah's newest computer program had trapped them all within their own memories of Battle City. Well, that is, most everyone was trapped.

Mokuba looked around, puzzled. He was once more standing in the center of Domino. He was complete alone, and he knew he had yet to make it back to reality.

"Hello! Where is everyone?! They're gone…that's weird…Seto! I hope they didn't leave without me…" called Mokuba. Little did he know that there was a separate trap in store for him.

"Mokuba!" exclaimed Noah, appearing out of nowhere and running to him. "What are you still doing here?"

"Where else would I be?" asked Mokuba, a bit dejectedly, a bit sarcastically.

"They made it out already," lied Noah. He gestured for Mokuba to follow him. "Come on." They both started walking up the street. _"Your friends may think they're free, but they're really trapped in their own memories."_

They didn't walk too far before Noah entered the Domino Arcade. Mokuba followed. The arcade had some of the most high tech games made, but it was eerily empty.

"We're here Mokuba. The secret exit to the real world is located inside of this arcade," said Noah.

"It's inside one of these video games?" asked Mokuba, who was already running to the nearest one.

"Yes," lied Noah. "Right there."

Mokuba started playing the game, eagerly. "Where is it? I can't wait to get back home!"

_"I'm sorry to say you won't be going home Mokuba,"_ thought Noah, evilly, smiling wickedly behind his back.

"Hey Noah, I can't find the exit in here…" said Mokuba who was still playing the game. He was quite skilled with video games, after helping his older brother test so many. "This video game has so many levels… Do you remember which one you hid the secret doorway in."

_"You'll never find out you fool,"_ thought Noah, still smirking while Mokuba wasn't watching. "You're close."

_"Close to having your body taken over that is,"_ thought Noah. He reached out a hand to take control of Mokuba's body.

"I just remember…you can't escape to the real world with us without a body…" said Mokuba, causing Noah to hesitate. He wanted to wait until Mokuba was completely distracted. "But I bet Seto can make you a body! I mean, you're our family Noah." Noah was so surprised by this comment that he actually put his hand down and continued to listen. "It won't be the same as your old body, but at least you'll be in the real world. I'm sure that the tech experts at Kaiba Corp. can construct some type of a robot body! Hey, maybe we can be twins!" He jumped up from the game and turned to Noah, chuckling happily, not suspecting a thing. "After all Noah, we are brothers, aren't we?" He smiled and continued to laugh good-naturedly.

_"Mokuba still likes me after all I've done to him? I almost feel bad,"_ thought Mokuba.

Mokuba turned his attention to the room. "There are so many games in here…maybe you hid the exit somewhere else."

"Oh. Yeah! I did!" said Noah, as if he had suddenly remembered that fact. He pointed to the back of the room, where there was a large Dance Dance Revolution stage. "It's in that one!"

"Thanks Noah!" exclaimed Mokuba, turning and running onto the stage.

"Now, where is the exit?" asked Mokuba as he leapt up the steps of the stage.

"Right here!" exclaimed Noah, sticking both of his hands right into Mokuba's back.

Mokuba's face showed an expression of pure shock for a moment. Then, both of them disappeared completely in sparkles of light. The arcade was as eerily empty as it had been when they entered. There was no sign that they had even been their in the first place.

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The rest of the group was breaking free of Noah's illusions. It wasn't one of his best tricks, it was just meant to get them out of the way long enough. There was a bright flash of light and they all completely broke free, ending up in the town square, right where Mokuba and Noah had been minutes before.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?!" exclaimed monkey Tristan, who sounded very ticked.

"I don't know…" said Duke, looking around.

"My head…" complained Kevin.

"I know what happened," said Yu-Gi. "Noah must have tricked us!"

"That rotten little brat!" shrieked Lara.

"Let's find that punk! Right now! Where is he anyway?" demanded Joe.

"This time, we're using the belt," agreed Drake.

"Hey! Kaiba's gone too!" exclaimed Téa, looking around.

"And Mokuba!" added Serenity.

"What is Noah trying to pull now?!" growled Duke.

"I know it's not good," said Drake.

"We need to bail. Now," said Lara.

"But how?" asked Serenity. No one had an answer for that.

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_"Noah never intended to set us free,"_ thought Seto Kaiba. The moment the large door in the canyon started to open, he had turned and walked away. He was now entering the business district of virtual Domino City._ "He claimed that doorway led back to the real world, but it was just another trap! He's done nothing but lie to us since the beginning! He was also lying about letting Shayla back into the real world. She's still a prisoner here." _ His eyes suddenly went wide. _"Why didn't I realize it sooner?! Noah's virtual software has been going through my memories. He would have found out I liked her, regardless of the fact she has no idea. They're using her to get to me, just like they did Mokuba! I won't let them use all of us like this! Now, it's time to go straight to the source and take down the man behind all of this mess, my step-father Gozaburo Kaiba. If he thinks his ridiculous plan to drag the entire world into this digital dump is going to succeed, then he's more senile than I thought."_

Kaiba had just reached the skyscraper that functioned at the head quarters of Kaiba Corp. He looked up it, his hands clenching into fists. _"I bet that old fool is sitting in my office right now!" _

"I've taken him down once before and I'm planning on doing it again, this time for good," Kaiba said out-loud as he pushed open the large glass doors and entered the building.

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"That scrawny little twerp double-crossed us again! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. He's toast!" exclaimed Joe.

"No, he's worse than toast!" agreed Kevin.

"Once a traitor always a traitor, just like the Big 5," grumbled Drake.

"Let's pulverize him!" Joe continued to fume.

"Wait Joe, we have to come up with a plan that makes sense!" cautioned Yu-Gi.

"I already have. We shake Noah upside down until he tells us the way out!" said Joe.

"I have to agree with Joe on this one, only Noah knows where the exit is," said Duke.

"No, that's to good for that spoiled brat," said Lara, venomously.

"We're running out of time, because pretty soon the whole world will be trapped…" Téa trailed off.

"Do you really think Gozaburo would succeed?" asked Tristan, talking half in chimp.

_/I guess I shouldn't have trusted Noah, this is all my fault,/_ sighed Yu-Gi.

_/That's not true, you believe there is still good inside of Noah, there's nothing wrong with that,/_ said Yami.

_/But no one else does…/_

_/Give them time, after everything he's done it's hard to believe he can change. Noah's acts of rage are fueled by an anger deep inside, but we can help him see the light./_

_/I hope so…and soon./_ Then, out-loud, Yu-Gi said, "All right, let's go find Noah and figure out a way to get out of here so we can stop Gozaburo's plan."

"But…how?" asked Téa.

"Once we are in the real world we can warn people about Gozaburo's plan to digitize the entire planet!" said Yu-Gi.

"Who's going to believe that?" asked Drake.

"And how are we going to get out in the first place?" asked Kevin.

Tristan started to chatter away, but the only words distinguishable from the monkey chatter were "Stop" and "That."

"Tristan, I couldn't understand a thing you just said. You're almost all chimp now!" said Duke, looking over at monkey Tristan, who was on his shoulder.

"Poor Tristan…" said Serenity.

Little did they know that they were about to be in a whole lot more trouble. Gozaburo was sitting behind a chess board, moving the pieces across the field. Every time he moved one, a set of monsters appeared around the duelists with a bright flash of light. Five Rock Ogre Grottos (800/1200) formed, followed by a small platoon of Lizard Soldiers (1100/800), and then a group of female monsters (1200/1900). The duelists were surrounded before they knew what was happening.

"What gives?!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Someone doesn't want us to escape!" exclaimed Drake.

"It's butt kicking time!" exclaimed Joe, readying his duel disk. Yu-Gi and Drake were doing the same, since they were the only ones who still had their virtual duel disks. The rest had been lost along the way.

"We need to get out of here! Now!" exclaimed Téa.

"I hope this works…" said Yu-Gi, holding up the first card he drew. "Curse of Dragon!" In a flash, his skeleton dragon appeared above him.

"All right!" cheered Duke.

"Nice choice," complimented Drake. "Grey Wing!" His dragon appeared with Yu-Gi's.

"Dragon Flame Attack!" ordered Yu-Gi. The Curse of Dragon raised its head and showered the ground with flame, taking out some of the Lizard Soldiers.

"My turn!" exclaimed Joe. "Axe Raider!" His warrior monster appeared on the ground, battle axe ready. It charged through the Rock Ogre Grottos.

"This is our chance! Run for it!" exclaimed Lara, noticing the gap in the ring of monsters.

The non-dueling teens followed her lead and darted through the monsters, trying to avoid being slashed.

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"Thanks Mokuba, I owe you my life!" laughed Noah as he stepped out of the virtual pod in Mokuba's body. _"It's good to be back in the real world. Mokuba's body was a perfect fit!"_ He started down one of the corridors of the submarine. He reached the same door that Yami Marik had trouble with. However, Noah knew the password. _"Now I can move on with my plan and stop my father form completely his."_

"Access confirmed. Welcome to central command," said a feminine computer voice.

The room was filled with large computer terminals with a large screen on the back wall. Noah walked directly up to the central terminal and started entering things on the keyboard.

_"It's so simple. I destroy the central computer that allows my father's virtual world to exist, thus destroying every mind that's trapped there; my father's, Seto's, and all of Yu-Gi's friends."_

"Those fools, actually thinking I was going to help them escape is the last mistake they'll ever make. Now it's time. The past is over. And I'll take my father down with his own satellite," said Noah. The screen flickered to a satellite that was orbiting the earth. It was the same one Gozaburo had shown them in the virtual world.

"Initiating satellite reprogramming. Preparing for attack," said the computer.

"The satellite is almost reprogrammed for destruction!" exclaimed Noah, happily. At that moment, an alarm started blaring. Noah looked up at the screen. It had switched from showing the orbiting satellite to showing a section of the ship. Yami Marik had gone on a rampage, destroying whatever he saw fit.

He laughed as he blew a heavily armored door right off of its hinges. "I'll find you pharaoh," he said, continuing to laugh. "Even if that means shutting this place down!" He raised the Millennial Rod and blasted the power core in the center of the room.

"Warning, main power is offline. Warning, main power is offline," said the computer voice as the lights flickered, then died entirely.

"No! I was almost finished!" exclaimed Noah in Mokuba's body. He pounded the keyboard futilely with his fists.

"Releasing magnetic docks," said the computer voice. The machinery holding the blimp down went offline.

"Hey! We're no longer locked down!" exclaimed one of the pilots.

"Excellent, now we have to find the other passengers," said another.

_"Marik…"_ thought Ishizu, her face marked with concern.

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Seto Kaiba was waiting impatiently for the elevator to take him to the top floors of Kaiba Corp.. He was slowly sinking into angry mode the more he thought about Gozaburo's plans.

_"I'm going to put an end to my step-father's non-sense once and for all,"_ he told himself. _"He'll regret ever taking Mokuba and Shayla prisoner. I'm going to save her, then I'm going to make him pay." _

He boldly approached the doors to his own office and threw the doors wide open, causing them to slam into the walls.

"Don't you know how to knock?!" snapped Gozaburo. The large chair behind the desk turned around and Gozaburo glowered at his step-son.

"I guess you never taught me manners pops," said Kaiba, sarcastically. Then his tone went deadly serious. "Where is she?"

His eyes scanned the room for any sign of Shayla. They came to a rest on the broken half of her walking stick. His eyes narrowed. His suspicions had been confirmed. He looked back up at Gozaburo, noticing the welt on the side of his face for the first time. Kaiba repressed a smirk, secretly impressed at what Shayla managed to do. He had been more than surprised when she did the exact thing at the Duelist Kingdom, though he completely agreed with her actions then and now.

"Have a seat. It's time for a father-son chat!" ordered Gozaburo.

"In your dreams," shot Seto. His frosty tone dropped a few more degrees. "Now answer me! Where is she?"

"Just give in now," said Gozaburo, ignoring him. "You'll make things much easier on yourself." He moved a piece on the chessboard in front of himself, causing more monsters to appear and give the duelists grief. "Or you can chose to meet the same fate as your little friends." A screen rolled down behind Kaiba. He could hear the cries and exclamations from everyone else as Gozaburo's monsters continued their attack. However, he did not turn around to look at the screen. Seto wasn't about to turn his back to Gozaburo.

"Take a look. My army of monsters is about to wipe them out," Gozaburo urged, but Kaiba didn't budge.

"You're little threats don't scare me at all. Why don't you let us go before I really get angry?" said Kaiba.

"You haven't change a bit," said Gozaburo, standing up. He walked around the desk and started to walk passed Kaiba. However, he stopped just as he entered Kaiba's peripheral vision. Kaiba did not turn to meet him in the eye. "All right, I know the perfect way to settle our differences. Do you recall the chess match we had the day I met you? Well I propose a rematch!"

Kaiba repressed a chortle. "You are not worth my time. Why would I want to play chess against someone who couldn't even beat me when I was twelve?"

"What makes you think that I'm talking about you and I playing another chess game Seto?" smirked Gozaburo.

Kaiba was so surprised by this he actually turned and faced his step-father. "Then what did you have in mind, Gozaburo?"

"Take a guess," replied Gozaburo, arrogantly. "It's a game you're quite fond of. Duel Monsters!"

"Really? What are you up to?" challenged Seto Kaiba.

"You seem mad," said Gozaburo with mock naiveté. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to duel your step-father to win your freedom and that of the girl you love."

"You thought wrong Gozaburo!" shot Kaiba. "You can't play with our lives like they're a game."

"That's exactly what you did to me Seto! On the day you stole Kaiba Corp. from me!" accused Gozaburo.

"How heart breaking. You're here because I outsmarted you and took away your precious little company."

"I'm here because the virtual world gives me limitless power! Soon I'll use it to digitize the world! But first I'll get rid of you!"

"And why do you have to beat me in a duel to do that?" asked Kaiba, a bit coyly.

"To humiliate you like you humiliated me!" shouted Gozaburo. "Once I beat you at your favorite game I'll make sure you never stand in my way again! I'll erase your mind and reprogram you as my servant who will obey my every command, just like the rest of the world!"

"I have never served anyone but myself. I have never backed down from a challenge, either, Gozaburo," replied Kaiba. "So let's duel."

-x-x-x-x-x-

They entered the large arena that Seto Kaiba had set aside for duels in the Kaiba Corp. HQ. Gozaburo flicked on the lights and Kaiba couldn't help but gasp in surprise. There, hanging directly above the field in the middle of a cage, was Shayla. She was sitting directly in the middle of the cage, as far as she could get from all side, looking very tense.

"Shayla!" exclaimed Kaiba. "Are you okay?!"

"K-Kaiba?!" gasped Shayla, completely surprised. "Is it really you?!"

"Yes, are you okay?" he repeated.

"I've been better…" she trailed off.

"Gozaburo! Let her down from there this instant!" ordered Kaiba.

"We had an agreement," said Gozaburo, walking over to the left handed duel platform. He was talking with his back to his step-son. "In order for the two of you two go free, you must beat me in a duel. Until that happens, you both remain right where you are."

_"Kaiba's going to be the one to free me?!"_ thought Shayla, more than stunned. _"I think it is absolutely impossible for this day to get any weirder."_ Pity she didn't knock on wood.

Kaiba started towards the right-hand dueling platform. _"Hang in there Shayla, we'll both be out of here soon."_

"Are you ready to humiliate yourself, Seto?" asked Gozaburo as the holo-field activated.

"You tell me," replied Kaiba.

"Let's get this duel started. Now then, I'll go first!"

"And you criticize me for having no manners?" countered Kaiba. "Go ahead and make your move."

"I activate the magic card Painful Choice," said Gozaburo. "This card lets me draw five cards from my deck. Then you choose one to go to my hand. The rest are sent to the graveyard."

"I know what the cards does you fool!" snapped Kaiba. "So pick your cards so we can get this duel over with."

"Have it your way Seto. Feast your eyes on my five cards. I have a feeling you've encountered them before," said Gozaburo. The holo-field showed five large holograms of the cards Gozaburo had chosen. "Take a close look. Do these five cards seem familiar to you?" The five cards were none other that the five pieces of Exodia.

Kaiba couldn't help but be shocked. "It can't be! Not those cards! It's the five pieces of Exodia the forbidden one!"

"Exactly and I know all about your painful history with Exodia," gloated Gozaburo.

Kaiba frowned, remembering how he had lost his first duel ever to those cards. "Your point? That's history! Besides, I'm about to send four pieces to the graveyard."

Gozaburo laughed. "Then what are you waiting for?" Kaiba paused a moment, trying to figure out if there was anything Gozaburo was trying to pull.

_"Having the five pieces of Exodia in one's hand ensures an automatic victory,"_ thought Kaiba. _"But since Gozaburo used a Painful Choice magic card, he won't win that instant victory, and all but one piece will be in the graveyard. What is he trying to pull? Gozaburo is no fool, he wouldn't just throw away his best cards."_

"Didn't I teach you that hesitation is a form of weakness when facing down your enemies Seto?" Kaiba didn't reply, he was still trying to consider all of his options.

"Kaiba!" called Shayla as Gozaburo held up the five pieces of Exodia. "Be careful! He's planning on…"

Before she could finish, Gozaburo caused the cage to swing wildly from side to side.

"EEP!" Shayla braced her hands on the bottom, trying to keep from shaking herself.

"Silence you!" snapped Gozaburo.

Kaiba glared at his step-father. "Leave her alone! She's not part of this! If you have any problems here, I'm the one you want!"

"Kaiba…" whispered Shayla, again surprised by his attitude.

_"Shayla said Gozaburo has a plan…And she does know her cards…"_ Kaiba thought. _"Does that mean Gozaburo wants Exodia in the graveyard? It doesn't make any sense!"_

"Come on, Seto," said Gozaburo, impatiently.

"I choose the Right Arm of Exodia," said Kaiba. "The other for pieces are sent to the graveyard. Gozaburo put the one card in his hand and discarded the rest.

"Kaiba…be careful…" murmured Shayla. She said it quietly because didn't want to cause Gozaburo to swing the cage again, it only made her acrophobia worse.

"Gozaburo, you are a fool if you think you can take me down," said Kaiba.

Gozaburo laughed once again. "I play this card face down. You might think you have the upper hand now, but it won't be long before you hear me say check mate."

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The light on the submarine flickered back to life. "Emergency backup generator activated. All systems operating normally," said the computer.

"Good, where was I?" Noah asked himself. "Once that satellite attacks the entire virtual world will instantly shut down along with every mind inside." With the power back on, Noah also had access to the surveillance system again. The cameras were all focused on Yami Marik, who was laughing as he continued to blast the robots that came to stop him. "An uninvited guest. It's not like it matters. This place is history." He hit the 'Enter' key and finished him command.

"Thirty minutes until satellite attack," said the computer.

Noah laughed and walked out.

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"The coast is clear! Let's go!" said Joe as he finished blasting a monster. He motioned for everyone to dart down the alley.

"Are those monsters coming back?" asked Serenity.

"Don't worry Serenity, it seems like we're safe for now," comforted Duke. A Lizard Soldier approached the alley. "Or maybe not…"

"Persistent nuisances…" muttered Lara, feeling the loss of her duel disk.

"Looks like our works not done," commented Yu-Gi, reaching for his deck.

"All right, lets do our thing, guys," said Joe.

"I'm ready," said Drake. "The rest of you be careful and try to find cover."

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"25 minutes until satellite attack, evacuate virtual stimulators," said the computer voice.

Yami Marik blasted his way into the main control room. "I must find those fools. Hmmm, what's this?" He walked over to the computer terminals.

"Satellite set to destroy central computer," said the computer.

Yami Marik started laughing and laughing hard.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"23 minutes to satellite attack," announced the computer as Noah in Mokuba's body rode the elevator to the upper deck of the sub.

Noah was still mulling over his father's betrayal. _"He's lied to me for the last time!" _A hatch built into the submarine opened and a helicopter was raised to the top. It started automatically.

_"It's time to make my escape and leave those fools behind,"_ thought Noah, viciously. But then his thoughts wandered to Mokuba, and how he had tried to help him when he was having a fit of insanity underground. Noah shook Mokuba's head. _"Mokuba's a fool." _But still, his thoughts dwelt on the youngest prisoner in the virtual world. Noah simply couldn't forget what his step-brother told him in the arcade. _"Why can't I stop thinking about this?" _

"He trusts me, after all I did," Noah muttered to himself as he stepped into the helicopter and strapped himself in. "Brotherhood? Family? Who needs it? That's behind me. Soon my so-called family will be gone for good."

"21 minutes to satellite attack, evacuate virtual stimulators," said the computer.

Noah's tough façade feel and he quit denying his heart. "What have I done?!" In that instant he was flooded with guilt. "Oh no…"

He leapt out of the helicopter and hurried back the way he came, waiting impatiently in the elevator and racing through the halls.

"18 minutes to satellite attack," the computer counted down.

_"My brother believes in me, I can't let him down! I have to stop that satellite!"_ thought Noah, desperately, as he hurried back to the control room. He was more than horrified to see every terminal broken and smoldering. He gaped for a few seconds before he could recover. "The controls! I can't stop the attack! No! That intruder must have done all of this! Mokuba and the others are doomed! It's all my fault!" He cried out in anguish and raced from the room.

"15 minutes to satellite attack, evacuate immediately," said the computer, emotionlessly.

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"I play my Vorse Raider in attack mode," announced Kaiba as he started his first turn. His monster appeared in front of him with 1900 attack points. _"He had a monster in defense mode. It could be stronger than my Vorse Raider, but knowing Gozaburo, he's bluffing."_

_"Kaiba…he's stringing you along,"_ thought Shayla, biting her lip. _"I know the monster Gozaburo summoned is Exodia's Right Hand."_

"All right Vorse Raider, attack his face down monster!" ordered Kaiba His monster raised its blade and charged forward, slicing the card hologram in half. Shayla was right. The monster was revealed to be the Right Arm of the Forbidden One before the hologram broke apart.

"Why did you put Exodia's right arm on the field?!" demanded Kaiba.

"Kaiba, you have to be ready for anything!" said Shayla, no longer able to keep quite. "This is really bad!"

"You're about to find out how bad!" laughed Gozaburo.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Kaiba, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing now that I have what I need," said Gozaburo, as he drew a card. "I activate the magic card Contract with Exodia!"

"I've never seen that card before! What is it!?" gasped Kaiba. Shayla's worst fears had been confirmed.

"Contract with Exodia is a rare magic card that can only be activated when all five pieces of Exodia are in the graveyard. It costs half of my life points, but it allows me to summon a monster more powerful than Exodia itself!"

"What on earth are you talking about?!" exclaimed Kaiba.

"Meet Exodia Necros!" an enormous monster rose out of the ground. It was an exact image of Exodia, except its skin was charcoal black. It had the muscular limbs of Exodia, and even the headdress, chains, and shackles. It was so tall its forehead was even with Shayla's cage. It's stats were 1800 and 0. "Check mate Seto!"

"Exodia Necros?! It looks just like Exodia!" gasped Kaiba. For him, it was like a blast from his first duel with Yu-Gi, something he had tried very hard to forget.

Gozaburo was laughing like a nut. "Well son, are you frightened?"

"Not quite!" snapped Seto. Exodia Necros's appearance had caught him off guard, but like any professional duelist, he regained his composure and was already trying to figure out a way to beat it. "Some all powerful monster. My Vorse Raider still has more attack points than it! Vorse Raider! Attack his monster!" His Vorse Raider leapt into the air, slicing Exodia Necros from top to bottom. However, Gozaburo's monster did not burst into data. Gozaburo laughed, though his life points dropped by 100 to 1900.

"I'm sure you want to know why Exodia Necros is still standing," said Gozaburo. "That's because of its special abilities. It gains 1000 attack points every time it is in battle! And it can't be destroyed by a monster! I told you Exodia Necros was invincible!" His monster now had 2800 attack points.

"No monster is invincible," replied Kaiba. "It's only a matter of time until I find your monster's weakness!"

"I know you can do it Kaiba, but it won't be easy," called Shayla. She wanted to say more, but she could feel Gozaburo's eyes on her.

"Give up now Seto, you'll never stop Exodia Necros because it can't be stopped!" snapped Gozaburo.

"Just watch me bring it down," countered Kaiba. "I summon Spirit Ryu to the field!" His first dragon of the duel appeared. Its attack equaled its defense at 1000. "Then I play the card Burst Breath! This card requires me to tribute one dragon in order to send all monsters on the field that have a defense less than my dragon directly to the graveyard. Spirit Ryu has 1000 defense points, but Exodia Necros has none! So your 'invincible' monster is destroyed!" Spirit Ryu vanished from the field and Kaiba waited for Exodia Necros to do the same. However, it remained standing.

Gozaburo laughed his insane laugh. "Exodia Necros has more special abilities, one for each piece that is in the graveyard. Exodia's Left Leg means it can't be destroyed by magic cards. Its right leg means it can't be destroyed by trap cards. Having Exodia's Left Arm in the graveyard means it can't be destroyed by the special effects of a monster. Its right arm gives it 1000 attack points every time it is in battle. And Exodia's head prevents it from being destroyed in battle!"

_"That's insane! The five pieces of Exodia are still powerful when they've been sent to the graveyard!"_ thought Seto. His eyes went wide as he frantically scanned his mind for a way to beat the creature that now stood in front of him. He could find nothing, though.

"Kaiba!" called Shayla. "Listen to me! You're one of the best duelists I know, and I know you can beat that thing! I believe in you!"

Kaiba's eyes locked on her, briefly taking in her serious expression. He knew she wouldn't lie. A small smile danced on his lips for a moment and a glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes. He turned his attention back to the duel. "I refuse to be beaten by you, Gozaburo. So I play one card face down and move my Vorse Raider to defense mode."

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"Let's fry this creep, Yug," said Joe. The monsters were progressively getting stronger.

"Right, Dark Magician!" said Yu-Gi, holding up his favorite card. "Dark Magic Attack!"

"Rocket Warrior, Invincible Attack!" ordered Joe.

"I can't keep running like this," complained Serenity, who was getting tired.

"Hang in there, Serenity, we'll get out of here," said Duke.

Tristan agreed, in monkey.

"Let's have some fun!" exclaimed Drake. "Tyrant Dragon!" His favorite monster appeared and instantly started thrashing Gozaburo's monsters.

"We need a better plan," said Téa. "We can't keep running and fighting."

"We need an exit," agreed Kevin.

"Come on! We have to keep moving!" called Lara.

"Guys! Can you hear me!" came Noah's voice from the sky. He had found a working terminal by the virtual pods. It allowed him access to the virtual world, but he couldn't stop the satellite from it.

"Ten minutes to satellite attack," the computer said in the background.

"Noah?!" exclaimed the group.

"Come here you little punk!" exclaimed Joe.

"You are in serious trouble!" shouted Lara.

"You don't have any time!" Noah continued. "There is a missile heading towards the mainframe. When it hits the entire computer that supports the virtual world will be destroyed! If you don't get out before then, you're minds be destroyed with it!"

"Here that guys?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Yeah, this virtual world is about to go bye bye," said Joe.

"And when it's destroyed it's take our minds with it," added Duke.

"Things always seem to get worse around here…" muttered Téa.

"Don't give up, pretty lady," said Kevin, taking her hand, causing Téa to sweat-drop. "We'll get out of here."

"Listen to me; I can help," continued Noah. "The only exit is in the Domino Arcade. Hurry! Time is running out! "

"Can we trust him?" asked Téa.

"No," replied Lara, instantly.

"Again, we're in the 'no choice' dilemma," said Duke.

"Well...Joe?" asked Serenity.

"Trust Noah? Forget about it," replied Joe.

"Duke…no choice…Joe," Tristan managed to get out over the ape talk.

"You're right! We have nothing to lose!" said Yu-Gi.

"That's not quite how I see it," said Drake.

Téa bit her lip. "Let's go!"

"Yeah…" agreed Duke, reluctantly.

"All right, but I'm warning you! You better not pull any of your dirty tricks Noah!" Joe shouted up at the sky before running with the group to the arcade.

"Hurry! You have to get out of there! Now!" called Noah.

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"Hurry! You have to get out of there! Now!" finished Noah.

Shayla buried her face in her hands. "I can't take much more of this…" she moaned.

"Shayla!" called Kaiba. "It's your turn to listen to me! You said you believed in me, and I haven't give up yet! I'm going to win this duel and get you down from there! Then we will escape this nightmare together!"

Shayla nodded.

"Father, your plan to digitize the entire planet had been squashed!" Noah said, directing that comment to the arena only.

"What?! How could you betray me?! After everything that I've done for you!" shouted Gozaburo. It was finally his turn to be shocked.

_"What things?"_ wondered Kaiba and Shayla.

"It's called payback! You used me and everyone around you for your own selfish goals!" snapped Noah. "But not any more! Now your own satellite will destroy your central computer that runs your virtual world."

"You can't do that son! If you call off your attack I'll make sure you and I rule this cyber universe together when I bring the entire world here!"

"It's too late. It's over," said Noah as his voice faded.

"Once a traitor always a traitor," said Shayla. "Gozaburo can't be trusted any more than the Big 5." She was still tense from the news of the impending attack, added to the stress of the height she was suspended at.

"Well it looks like you've failed again. So there's one thing left to do," said Seto to Gozaburo.

"Yes there is! Escape to the real world!" exclaimed Gozaburo. His human formed melted away and blurred until it was no more than a large red figure with all the form of a paper doll that hadn't been cut out properly. However, he had grown considerably in size. He stretched across the field, trying to attack Kaiba. "And since I have no body, I'll use yours!"

Shayla screamed as he swept under her, causing the cage to swing again.

Kaiba, however, was perfectly calm. "Hold no! Not so fast!" Much to everyone's surprise, Gozaburo stopped, only a few feet away from his target. "Just look at yourself! Your nothing but a corrupt computer file infecting this system! If you want to prove your power then get back in your corner and duel me! The winner gets to escape in my body! Let's continue and find out who deserves to be president of Kaiba Corp. and who deserves to be deleted."

Gozaburo did exactly what Kaiba said, to further their amazement. He condensed back into his human form. "I accept your foolish challenge and I'll make sure it's your mind that gets erased! Here's goes."

_"That has got to be one of the best bluffs I have ever heard,"_ thought Shayla, who was struggling to keep her promise to herself.

"Exodia Necros, attack his Vorse Raider!" ordered Gozaburo.

Exodia swung a massive fist across the field. A cry escaped Shayla before she could cut it off. Exodia Necros was so tall that every time it moved it threatened to knock into her cage.

"Shayla!" exclaimed Kaiba, feeling momentary panic for her. He almost missed activating a card, his attention was focused above the duel.

"I activate Negate Attack," said Kaiba. _"Just like I thought."_ Exodia Necros froze where it was, then went back into a ready position. _"Gozaburo said his Exodia Necros couldn't be destroyed by trap cards, but I can still stop its attacks with them."_

"All you're doing is delaying your eventual defeat! My Exodia Necros is unstoppable!" snapped Gozaburo.

"Not for long," said Kaiba. "I activate the magic card Shrink, which cuts your monster's attack points in half!" Exodia Necros now had 1400 attack points until the end of the turn. "Then I tribute my Vorse Raider for my Luster Dragon!" This monster had lovely scales that shimmered a deep color. It was shaped like a normal, European dragon. Its stats were 2400 and 1400.

_"I knew he'd figure out something!"_ thought Shayla, who was more than eager to get out. "Great play!"

"Luster Dragon, attack!" ordered Kaiba. Luster Dragon fired a multi-colored beam at Exodia Necros. It remained standing, as expected, but Gozaburo's life points dropped to 900. "Ah, so even though your monster seems to be invincible it does have a weakness after all. It's just as I suspected."

"What weakness!? Tell me!" demanded Gozaburo.

"Even though Exodia Necros can't be sent to the graveyard, if I attack it with a more powerful monster you still loose life points," answered Kaiba.

"Get to the point Seto!" snapped Gozaburo.

"It may be true that Exodia Necros is invincible, however, that doesn't mean you are," smirked Kaiba.

"Kaiba, I know you are capable of destroying that monster!" called Shayla.

"Huh?" asked Kaiba. _"Does she mean there's actually a way to destroy it?!"_

"Exodia Necros, attack!" ordered Gozaburo. His monster now had 4800 attack points. It easily destroyed the Luster Dragon, bringing Kaiba down to 2600 life points.

"Seto, prepare to sink into virtual darkness while my strength grows!" said Gozaburo.

"True duelists don't claim victory until the duel is over," shot Shayla.

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"There it is!" exclaimed Téa as the arcade came into view.

"Get inside, quick!" said Duke as Gozaburo's monsters continued to pursue them.

"We made it…" said Lara, breathing hard.

"But the exit could be anywhere in here," said Serenity, looking over all the games.

"Listen closely, you must proceed to the stage in the back of the arcade to escape," said Noah. They all turned and looked at the DDR game.

"All right guys! Let's go!" said Téa, instantly trusting anything with dancing.

"Let's do this!" agreed Serenity.

"Stand on the red platform and I'll upload you back to the real world," said Noah.

"You ladies go first," said Kevin.

"Right," agreed Téa and Serenity as they hurried to the back of the arcade. Serenity had taken over holding Tristan. They both leapt up the stairs and disappeared in a flash of light.

"I hope this isn't another betrayal…" said Lara.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Now uploading brainwaves from virtual environment to stimulation pods," said the computer.

"Where am I?" asked Téa as she woke up. The glass case of the virtual pod opened. "We really have been here all along."

"It looks like we all made it back without any problems," commented Serenity.

"Yeah, speak for yourselves," said Tristan. He looked normal, but he was still making monkey noises.

"Tristan your fine, you don't look like a robot monkey any more," said Serenity.

Kevin's virtual pod opened.

Tristan answered Serenity in monkey noises before he caught himself. "I mean that's great!"

"He doesn't look that different to me," teased Téa.

"I don't know," said Kevin, walking over. "I think he looked better as the robot monkey."

Tristan fell, anime-style. "I'm fine," he said, continuing with the chimp talk.

"Are you sure the monkey thing wasn't just an act?" asked Kevin. "He seems to fit the roll."

"Um…where are the others?" asked Serenity, changing the subject. "Are they coming soon? What about my brother?"

"Joe, Drake, and Yu-Gi are still trying to stop the monsters from entering the arcade," said Kevin. "And Lara wanted to wait for Drake. Duke was right behind me…"

"Excellent the others are ready. It seems everyone's made it to the arcade," said Noah as Mokuba. He was sitting in a computer chair with his back to them. He had a headset on.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Dark Magician, Flame Swordsman, and Tyrant Dragon were all fighting side by side in front of the entrance to the Domino Arcade, prevent Gozaburo's army from entering.

"Nice job, guys!" cheered Joe.

"Come on! Come on!" called Lara as Duke vanished.

"Proceed to the stage immediately," said Noah.

"Yeah, we need to get out of here," said Drake. "Hold them off a little longer!" His dragon bellowed in agreement.

The remaining duelists hurried to the back of the arcade.

"That must be it," said Joe, pointing to the DDR game.

"You go first, I'll be right there," said Yu-Gi.

"Don't wait too longer!" cautioned Drake. Lara took him by the hand and they hurried up to the platform.

"You had better be right behind me," Joe said.

"Come on!" called the couple as they vanished.

"Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Yu-Gi, still holding the monsters off.

"Let's go! Hurry up!" shouted Joe as he vanished.

Yu-Gi turned from the battle and started up the steps of the DDR machine.

"Yu-Gi wait. I have a favor to ask," said Noah.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Upload successful," said the computer.

Joe sat up instantly and smashed his face up against the glass. "It's great to be back in the real world," he groaned.

"Joe!" exclaimed Serenity, running to him.

"Serenity!" said Joe, jumping out of the pod to embrace her. "I told you everything would be okay!"

"Joe! You made it!" exclaimed Kevin. "That's almost everyone!"

"Kevin? You mean you're really real?" gaped Joe.

"Yes I am!" said Kevin. "Don't tell me you're still hung up on the virtual spy thing?!"

"Yu-Gi, Mokuba, Shayla, Kaiba are still in there," said Lara, looking at the unmoving figures that remained in the pods.

"I thought Noah said they let her go!" exclaimed Téa.

"He lied…" growled Drake.

"So let me get this straight…" said Duke, who was talking to the person in the chair. "If you're Noah, then where's Mokuba?"

"There!" said Noah through Mokuba, pointing at the screen. "Inside the virtual world with Yu-Gi, Seto, and Shayla. That's why I needed Yu-Gi to stay back."

Hearing this, Joe raced over. "What?! That's why he stayed back?! Because Kaiba didn't have enough brains to find the exit on his own!!!"

"Kaiba went to save Shayla," said Noah. "She's in a really tight spot and if he can't rescue her, she's liable not to get out."

"It's that bad?" asked Serenity.

"She's Gozaburo's prisoner," said Noah, pointing to the screen.

"Oh no!" gasped the group.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kaiba is trapped in a duel with Gozaburo to save Shayla. You have to find them!" Noah said to Yu-Gi.

"How will I do that?" asked Yu-Gi, looking at the ceiling.

"I'll use the computer to create a virtual short cut so you can reach them at Kaiba Corp. head quarters."

"All right," agreed Yu-Gi.

Another solid oak door appeared next to the DDR stage.

"Go through that door and you'll find Seto and Shayla," said Noah.

"Okay! I won't come back without them!" said Yu-Gi as he raced to the door before the monsters could come.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I have a question: why are you trying to rescue Kaiba and Shayla? Last I checked you hated your step-brother," asked Téa.

"I was wrong Téa," apologized Noah with absolute sincerity. "I shouldn't have treated you guys the way that I did. I was jealous and angry. I'm sorry."

"Erm…I'm sorry too. For everything I said about you," stammered Joe.

"Yeah, me too," agreed Kevin.

Lara was giving them all looks like they were insane.

"I deserve it," said Noah.

"Four minutes to satellite attack. Evacuate now," said the computer.

"Time is running out everyone should return to the blimp immediately. It's not safe here now," said Noah.

"And leave them?!" exclaimed Drake.

"Noah's right! Come on you guys!" said Joe, starting to the door.

"Does anyone know the way out of this place?" asked Kevin.

"Just follow the halls," said Tristan.

"What happened in here?" asked Duke, noticing the destruction. Their voices faded as they left.

"Come on brother!" said Serenity when Joe lingered back.

"Noah, you're the only one who can get them out of there now. It's all up to you," said Joe before following his sister.

"I know," replied Noah, focusing on the computer.

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The virtual door opened and Yu-Gi found himself standing outside of the Kaiba Corp. building. "I hope I'm not too late! I'm coming, guys!" He raced inside.

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"Warning, two minutes until satellite attack," said the computer

"Time is running out Yu-Gi. If you guys don't get through the exit soon your minds will be lost forever," Noah said into the headset.

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"I activate Pot of Greed!" announced Kaiba. "This allows me to draw two more cards! Then I play one monster face down and one magic card face down."

"How can you be so confident when it is obvious that I have the advantage, Seto?!" taunted Gozaburo. "My Exodia Necros is already stronger than any monster you can summon! And none of your magic or trap cards will destroy it!"

"A deck based around one monster is never an advantage," called Shayla.

"That's right," agreed Seto. "You have a lot to learn about Duel Monsters, and the first rule is never rely on a single monster to win a duel!"

"Prepare to lose your body, son! Exodia Necros attacks his face down monster!" ordered Gozaburo. The monster was destroyed, raising Exodia Necros's attack up to 5800.

Kaiba drew his next card. _"My Blue-Eyes! This duel is far from over!"_

"I activate Monster Reborn to revive my Ancient Lamp," said Kaiba. "Ancient Lamp as the special ability to summon La Ginn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp to the field!" An elaborately engraved lamp appeared in front of him. A fog leaked out of the lamp, forming into the green La Ginn. Its attack was 1800.

_"Come on Kaiba…"_ thought Shayla, anxiously.

"There's a reason I haven't been able to destroy your Exodia Necros," said Kaiba. "I've been attacking its body when I should have been attacking its soul! So I activate Soul Demolition!"

"Soul Demolition?!" exclaimed Gozaburo.

"You heard me," replied Kaiba. "This card allows us to remove the monsters from our opponent's graveyard from play for 500 life points. My graveyard doesn't contain much, but yours has the five pieces of Exodia!"

"No! You can't do this!" cried Gozaburo.

"I knew you'd figure it out!" exclaimed Shayla.

_"Everything was worth it just to see her smile now,"_ thought Kaiba. He turned his attention back to Gozaburo. "I'm afraid I can. I know that the soul of your monster lies in your graveyard. Now, at the cost of 500 life points, I remove Exodia's Left Leg, which makes it immune to magic cards. Next, I'll destroy its right leg, making it vulnerable to trap cards! I'll also destroy its left hand, meaning it can be affected by my monster's special abilities. Destroying Exodia's right arm means it loses all the attack points it gained in our battles! And finally I'll destroy the head, meaning Exodia Necros can now be destroyed in battle!" His life points dropped to 100.

"No! NOOO!!!" screamed Gozaburo as the dark pigment in his monster's skin vanished, making it mortal.

"Yes!" cheered Shayla.

"Now, I have two monsters on the field, and I tribute them for my Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" exclaimed Kaiba.

"Finish him!" encouraged Shayla, who was anticipating freedom.

Kaiba was beaming. "And I'm afraid that's checkmate! White Lightning!" His favorite monster bellowed and blasted Exodia Necros and Gozaburo's life points into oblivion.

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"One minute to satellite attack, evacuate immediately," said the computer.

"Those three had better escape soon!" Noah said to himself, anxiously.

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"Shayla!" exclaimed Kaiba as the cage disappeared around her when Gozaburo's life points hit 0. The problem was she was so high off of the ground. She started to drop, screaming, her acrophobia in overdrive.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon moved forward and caught her before she had fallen more than fifteen feet. Shayla landed right on its snout. She stopped screaming and dug in, not wanting to fall again. The sheer bizarreness of her being on the face of a Blue-Eyes boggled her mind.

The Blue-Eyes stepped backwards and craned its long neck around to its master. It leaned forward and slid Shayla off, landing her on the dueling platform with Kaiba. She landed on her feet but was unbalanced and began to fall forward. Kaiba took one of her hands to help stabilize her. She straightened up. They had to stand close together because the platform was so small. Not that Kaiba was complaining, and Shayla still seemed a bit out of it.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently.

"I hate heights…," she moaned.

"We'll be leaving soon," stated Kaiba. Yami Yu-Gi watched the exchange between them, knowing that something had to be going on for Seto to be so civil. But he did not reveal himself from the control room he was waiting in.

"How could I lose this?" moaned Gozaburo.

"That's what happens when you challenge someone who is superior to you in every way," replied Kaiba, offhandedly. Most of his attention was on the girl in front of him.

"I'll show you who's superior!" shouted Gozaburo, changing back into his virus mode. "By taking over your body Seto! And you!" He turned his attention to Shayla. "You'll never be leaving! You'll die here!" He charged across the field, ready to attack.

"You can't do this! I won! What about our agreement?!" Kaiba yelled, pulling Shayla behind himself.

"The agreement is off!"

As Gozaburo came close, the dueling platform lurched under their feet, lifting them out of the way of Gozaburo. Shayla held on tighter to Kaiba's arm, and he placed his other arm around her waist, holding her close and making sure she wouldn't fall.

"What's going on?" asked Shayla, scared.

"Yu-Gi?!" gasped Kaiba, turning around and seeing him in the control room, keeping the platform away from Gozaburo.

"Jump guys!"

"I will trap you in here forever!" yelled Gozaburo. With that he charged the walls and disappeared into them.

"What does he mean?" asked Yu-Gi, lowering the platform to the ground and heading towards Kaiba and Shayla

"I don't know, but we aren't waiting to find out. Come on!" Kaiba said. He started to lead Shayla to the staircase at a rather fast pace. He did not trust the elevators. Yu-Gi nodded and quickly caught up with them.

_"This has left bizarre in the dust,"_ thought Shayla as they began to run down the stairs, trying to get out. She felt a little awkward about being led by someone older again. She was used to Martin or being alone. But she was more eager to leave the place then worry about that.

"We have to hurry!" Seto announced to them. "We don't have much time left."

"Those missiles…." mouthed Shayla.

"We only have minutes!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

"We'll be gone by then," he answered. Nonetheless, he started running faster. Shayla found that she had to completely trust where he was leading her. If she hesitated she would probably fall. They were going down that stairs now, and she was nervous that she might sprain an ankle.

They all stopped short when a loud rumble shook the very foundations of the virtual Kaiba Corp. headquarters.

"What was that?!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"A sign that we should be leaving," answered Seto as he once more started running, faster than ever.

"Satellite attack in three…two…one…targetting central computer network. Commencing launch sequence," said the computer. The missile had been launched.

"You have got to escape! Head to the Domino Arcade immediately!" Noah's voice came through to them.

CRASH! The ceiling overhead began to crumble. Kaiba came to a halt, whirled around, and braced his right arm against the wall, his left hand was still holding Shayla's. Shayla was a bit slower stopping and crashed right into his chest. But that was the least of their worries, because at that very same moment a large portion of the ceiling collapsed in front of them. Kaiba winced as a chuck of stone hit his shoulder, but he tried not to look like it hurt. This all happened within a few seconds.

"What just happened?" asked Shayla, rubbing her nose.

"Gozaburo is in the foundations! He's trying to destroy this place!" snapped Seto. He looked over his shoulder at the debris on the staircase. "We aren't getting out this way. Turn around and find another exit!"

"Right!" agreed Yu-Gi who started the group running again, this time in the lead. The whole building was trembling as they ran and it could be heard crumbling.

Yu-Gi tried several doors, but they all either opened to dead end offices, or halls that were blocked with debris.

"We are running out of options!" exclaimed Yu-Gi. "And time! This place is going to shut down any second!"

Shayla was uneasy, but after having so much time alone to think, and now being with her friends, she wasn't gripped with terror like she thought she'd be. Kaiba was tense with determination. He wasn't going to let his step-father trap him here. Yu-Gi was thinking as fast as he could for a possible way out.

They reentered the room that the duel had taken place in.

"We're trapped!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, although that was far from a sign that he had given up.

"Head to the roof!" exclaimed Kaiba. "We don't want to be in here when it falls."

They quickly found a staircase leading up. They were all getting winded, but they knew better than to stop. They had to dodge large pieces of dry wall and even run on a sliding staircase before they reached the roof.

"This is nuts!" gasped Shayla as they all tried to catch their breaths.

"Now what?" asked Kaiba as he looked around for any possible means of getting away from the rooftop.

"Well done, Seto," came the voice of Noah from somewhere in the sky.

"Noah!" gasped Yu-Gi.

"Where the heck are you?" demanded Kaiba.

"I'm going to have to open a portal for you here," stated Noah. "Just head to the edge of the roof and jump."

"What?!" gasped Shayla.

"Thanks, but why are you doing this?" asked Yu-Gi.

"Listen, no hard feelings, okay?" asked Noah, shrugging off the last comment.

"Here you are! You are going nowhere!" bellowed Gozaburo, erupting out of the stairwell still in virus monster form. He leapt at them, but he was too big to fit out of the doorway. He was stuck tight, but as he struggled the doorway began to break around him.

"Jump!" urged Noah.

"Forget it!" snapped Kaiba.

"Come on, Kaiba! We have no other choice! We have to trust him!" said Yu-Gi as he took a position on the edge of the roof. Kaiba nodded and ran over, leading Shayla.

They made it to the edge when Shayla jerked back, memories of her trip with the rare hunters pouring over her. She pulled away from the edge of the roof; bring herself closer to Gozaburo.

"Shayla!" gasped Yu-Gi and Kaiba when they noticed she was shaking.

"I-I-I don't think I can do this," she stammered. "I hate heights!"

Kaiba hopped down and hurried over to her. He took her hand again. "I know you're scared, but you are going to have to jump, it's the only way!" he started to bring her to the edge again, hoping to get out before Gozaburo could break free and charge again. "You said you trusted me once, you are going to have to do it again!"

Shayla nodded, but she tightened her grip on his hand. He led her over to the edge again. Shayla didn't pull back this time. Yu-Gi watched them, suspicions growing in his mind.

"On three," said Yu-Gi. They both nodded. "One. Two. Three!" With that they all jumped. Gozaburo broke free and charged them, but they were already plummeting.

Shayla had brought her other hand up and was digging into Seto's forearm. As she jumped, she started screaming as she felt nothingness slip past her. Kaiba and Yu-Gi remained much calmer, but Kaiba couldn't help but grin a bit when he felt her grip on his arms. A swirling vortex opened under them and they fell into it.

"Look! Noah opened another exit!" exclaimed Yu-Gi.

After what seemed like falling for an eternity it all went still.

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"Thank you Mokuba," said Noah as he entered one of the virtual pods. "For everything…"

"Satellite attack approaching," said the computer.

They all woke back in reality as the virtual pods were opening. Yu-Gi and Kaiba both leapt out of theirs. Shayla stood, a bit slower.

"We're back in the real world," Yu-Gi said.

"It's about time. Are you okay?" Kaiba asked Shayla as he helped her out, since his pod had been right next to hers.

"I-I think so," she answered, but she still sounded shaken.

Kaiba looked down at her and he wanted nothing more than to hold her close until she was calm, to feel her weight in his arms. It felt so _right_ last time he did on the skyscraper rooftop. He wanted to protect her and keep anyone from hurting her. He knew she was the most genuine person he had ever met. He cared about her, it was as simple as that.

"Mokuba is still here!" gasped Yu-Gi, surveying the empty pods.

"Mokuba?! He's still back there!" gasped Kaiba, racing over. Shayla was right behind him.

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Noah and Mokuba were talking in the in-between haze between the virtual world and reality. They were about to permanently part ways.

"Thank you for helping me Mokuba. I'm glad I got to know my brother," said Noah with no hint of regret in his tone.

"So, does this mean you're not coming back?" asked Mokuba, sounding concerned.

"I must return to cyber space."

"But it's shutting down Noah!" cried Mokuba, his voice echoing strangely.

Noah turned away and started to disappear in the fog. "It has to be this way.

"No, come with me now!" insisted Mokuba.

"There's something I still have to do Mokuba. You believe in me and you treated me like a brother. Now it's my turn to return the favor." He vanished completely.

"Noah! Don't go! Noah!" screamed Mokuba.

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"Mokuba! Come on! Wake up! Open your eyes!" urged Kaiba.

"Huh….?" asked Mokuba, starting to wake up.

"Mokuba! Are you okay?" asked Kaiba.

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, standing up and hugging his older brother. "I'm fine…but Noah's still inside!"

"Satellite attack approaching," said the computer.

"We need to leave!" yelled Kaiba. They all started running again, Kaiba once more leading Shayla.

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"I can still upload my mind to another network!" said Gozaburo, who was still on the virtual roof, after just having broken himself free.

"Fat chance!" shot Noah, who appeared in front of him.

"You!" growled Gozaburo.

"I've sealed off all of the exits so there is no way you can escape! I'm afraid it's all over for you!" shouted Noah.

"I cannot be stopped!" countered Gozaburo, snatching Noah with a clawed hand. "How can you think you have the power to keep me here?!"

Noah merely teleported out of his grasp. "I can control this place as well."

"Noah! You choose them over me?!" shouted viral Gozaburo.

"At least they believed in me! I can't let you hurt them!" said Noah. Ropes of light pulsed by his feet and grew up Gozaburo like veins, binding him where he stood. "I'm keeping you trapped in here! Does that sound familiar?!"

"What are you doing?! I command you to release me immediately!"

"I am going to make sure you never harm anyone again!"

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"Alert, central computer network will destruct. Evacuate the base immediately," said a computer voice.

The remaining four were running through the base as quick as they could. Kaiba was in front, trying to lead Shayla around the debris Yami Marik left. Yu-Gi and Mokuba were directly behind them.

"Why did Noah have to go back to that place guys? It's not fair!" said Mokuba.

"I know Mokuba," said Shayla. "I know…"

"Warning. Missile approaching," said the computer.

They made it to the top of the submarine where Kaiba Craft 3 was beginning its take off sequence. The rest of the group was waiting anxiously by the entrance to the airship.

"Here they come!" exclaimed Joe, stepping to the edge of the stairs.

"Hurry up guys! Let's go!" called Duke.

"You can make it!" shouted Téa.

"Keep running!" encouraged Drake.

The blimp was starting to gain altitude.

"Pick up the pace you guys! You're almost here! We got you!" called Joe. He was leaning out so far he was almost off of the stairs. Tristan had him by the arm, extending the chain so they could reach further. Duke was down on the steps also, arm out. The others were inside, calling out to them. Drake was by the controls, ready to shut the door the moment they were all inside.

"Let's go!"

"Grab on!"

"Hurry!"

"You're going to make it!"

"Don't give up!" called the teens.

"Come on Yu-Gi!" yelled Joe. The blimp was starting to hover.

"We're coming!" yelled Yu-Gi.

Kaiba's blue eyes were burning with determination.

Shayla was mouthing a silent prayer.

The blimp got closer, but it also got higher.

"I…don't think…I'm going…to make it," panted Mokuba.

"Yes you will!" exclaimed Kaiba. He reached down with his free hand and grabbed his little brother by the back of his vest. "Catch him!" With that Kaiba help Mokuba jump onto the blimp, where Duke caught him. Kaiba himself then jumped. He was still holding Shayla's right hand with his left. So he took his now free right hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her up with him. He then let go her hand and grabbed on to one of the supports for the door and held on tight. Yu-Gi leapt too. Joe grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Tristan was holding Joe to make sure he didn't fall off.

"They're in, now let's get out of here!" shouted Joe.

SLAM! Drake slammed the door shut. Everyone was laying in the interior hall in a heap. The blimp was speeding away from the submarine.

BOOM! The missile hint, completely destroying the submarine, the machinery, the virtual world, and anything still connected to it.

"Oh gosh…that explosion," groaned Shayla, digging into Kaiba's arm as the whole zeppelin lurched.

Some people were screaming, others were clinging to each other. Some of the group looked ready to faint, while others looked sick. Some were all of the above. In other rooms, the staff looked scared, Ishizu was tense, and Yami Marik was laughing his head off.

Kaiba stood, prying Shayla's fingers away. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he knew there was something he needed to do. He raced down the hall with surprising agility. Everyone else could hardly stand, and those that were were clinging onto the walls for dear life

"Mr. Kaiba I am afraid this ship is too slow to escape the explosion," said one of the pilots in the cockpit.

"I'm taking control! Sorry old man, but there is no way I'll let you win!" exclaimed Kaiba, jumping into a seat. He slammed his fist onto a button enclosed in a glass case, breaking the glass and hitting the button. The entire blimp began to transform into a plane. The jet zoomed out of the blast, barely missing being engulfed in flames itself. Then, the wave of fire died, leaving a column of smoke from the remains of the submarine

Kaiba walked back to the group, intent on seeing only one person.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Drake, helping Lara to her feet.

"Ugh…" groaned Téa, looking green.

"I'll be fine, I just want to stay sitting a bit longer," said Duke.

"We…we made it!" exclaimed Joe.

"I really didn't think we would…" said Tristan.

"That was close…way too close," agreed Kevin.

"Never, never, never again," moaned Shayla.

"Poor Noah…" said Mokuba, sadly.

"Yeah…he came through in the end," said Lara. "Now's the time he deserves a second chance."

Kevin offered a hand to Shayla, to help her up. However, she didn't see it. Kevin looked puzzled and waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't respond. Téa prodded him.

"What? I'm just trying to be nice," he said.

"She's blind!" Téa hissed.

"Oh…" said Kevin. He couldn't tell before because of the dark sunglasses she always wore.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Kaiba, approaching.

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, running to him and hugging him tight. He was most upset about Noah's sacrifice.

"Fine, fine," shrugged Lara.

"Yeah, for the most part," agreed Tristan.

The rest nodded and started to spread away from the door. Most of them headed to the windows to survey the destruction.

"Noah may have been a spoiled brat when we met him, but he turned out to be all right," commented Joe, looking down at the smoldering sub.

"Do you think he mind was deleted when the computer was destroyed?" asked Téa.

"Maybe…I don't really know," said Yu-Gi.

"Guys…" said Serenity, gesturing to Mokuba, who was still upset.

No one seemed to know what to tell him. There was no need. A few moment's later Mokuba hurried down the hall and out of sight.

"What was that about?" wondered Téa.

"All right, that little detour was a complete waste of my time," said Kaiba. "So let's move on and pretend that nonsense never happened. It's time for us to continue the Battle City finals." He turned to the microphone hidden in his collar. "Set us back on course to Kaiba Corp. Island." The group was giving him looks of disbelief.

"So this is where the Battle City finals are," said Kevin, looking around curiously.

"I don't believe you!" Shayla exclaimed. "My stomach hasn't caught up with us from that explosion, and you're trying to tell me to forget!?"

Kaiba seemed completely taken back by her tone. _"I thought, after everything she had to go through, that she would want to forget."_

"You know, that's a very good point," agreed Lara.

"It's time to move on, and that means erasing the past," said Kaiba, his cold tone returning.

"Things don't work that way Kaiba," said Shayla. Normally she would never use the tone she was using, but her nerves had been pushed to the limit. "You can't run from the past! It's part of you! You can't ever run fast enough to out run yourself!"

The rest of the group was giving them space.

"Why is she so mad?" Duke whispered.

"Don't know," replied Tristan.

"It's kinda amusing watching Kaiba get chewed out," smirked Joe.

"I thought you would want to forget that nightmare," said Kaiba to Shayla, more harshly than he intended. "That's all it was, a nightmare. It's over with and it's time to move on with life. It is not part of me."

"Deny it if you will, but it is part of me!" shot Shayla. "You might not like it, but it is a part of you as well! You have to accept the bad with the good, that's life!"

"Why don't we give them some space?" suggested Drake.

"This is too interesting," said Kevin, who was like Joe and enjoying Kaiba getting chewed out.

"Come on Drake, let's have some 'alone time,'" said Lara, pulling him down the hall.

"Well, Téa and I are going to the hospital wing and check on everyone," said Yu-Gi, the two of them walking away as well.

"You're wrong Shayla," snapped Kaiba, the two of them continuing their argument without noticing what everyone else was doing. "There's a reason it's called the past! It's over, it's done with, and it's meant to be buried. The only things that matter are the future and the present. The sooner we bury this incident the better off we will all be! It was nothing more than a distraction from my tournament!"

"That stupid tournament!" snapped Shayla. "How can you possibly say that this wasn't important?! You found out you had a step-brother, and you found out what happened to your step-father! That has to count from something!"

"That's family business! So stay out of it!" snapped Kaiba.

"Fine! You're right! I don't know why I even bother!" shouted Shayla, turning and leaving with one hand on the wall. "But I can guarantee you this, Seto Kaiba, you can try to bury this incident, but it will come back to haunt you."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as she turned the corner. The remaining teens recognized his temper when they knew it and quickly made excuses and hurried away.

Mokuba returned at that moment, carrying a bouquet of white lilies.

"Where did everyone go?" asked Mokuba. "What was the yelling?"

"Nothing Mokuba," replied Kaiba. "What's with the flowers?"

"…For Noah," replied Mokuba, looking down to repress tears.

Kaiba said nothing, he just gave a small nod. Mokuba walked over to the window and pulled it open. He threw the bouquet out of it, where it landed, floating on the waves.

They were the only ones left in the entranceway. Kaiba remembered as Shayla slipped silently down the halls, a thought occurring to him that he didn't quite know how to deal with.

_"I can't deny it any more,"_ he thought. _" I still really care about her. I can't ignore that……So what am I going to do about it?" _ While it made him mad that she could be so bold to speak to him that way, he also knew, deep-down, that she was right. He had nothing but admiration for her when she was directly honest. He had never known anyone before that he knew would always be truthful. It was a rare gift that he valued in her. He was already feeling guilty for yelling at her, though his pride would prevent an apology.

"Come on, Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba as he began to pull his big brother to another part of the ship.

"I'm coming, Mokuba," said Kaiba. He was having a sinking feeling that Mai had been right all along, and that he would have to confront Shayla.

AN/ This song was recommended by one of you reviewers as Shayla and Kaiba's theme for the time being. And it definitely fits this situation. (modified to fit Kaiba's POV)

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Why don't I like the guy I see?

The one who's standing right in front of me?

Why don't I think before I speak?

I should have listened to that voice inside of me.

I must be stupid, must crazy, must be out of my mind

To say the kinds of things I said last night

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Why did I let you walk away?

When I all I had to do was say, "I'm sorry."

I let my pride get in the way

And in the heat of a moment, I was to blame.

I must be stupid, must crazy, must be out of my mind

Now in the cold of the day I realized

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

If only wishes could be dreams

And all my dreams could come true

There would be two of us

Standing here in front of you.

If you could show me

That someone that I used to be

Bring back my baby

My baby to me

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

Mirror, Mirror hanging on the wall

You don't have to tell me, who's the biggest fool of all

Mirror, Mirror I wish you could lie to me

And bring my baby back

Bring my baby back to me.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

To me…

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.

Mirror, Mirror lie to me. Show me what I want to see.


	13. Four Way Duel Self Discovery

AN/ I am so sorry about the delay in updating, but college is keeping me very busy.

Shayla leaned against the door to her room. Her nerves were still on edge from the final plunge that had lead to her escape from the virtual world. That feeling had yet to fade, before it had been replaced by the old concerns about Battle City, whether anyone else would be hurt, whether anything could be done to help Mai, whether she could use her scales to reverse some of the damage.

"_Everything is so unsure now,"_ she thought. She crossed her arms across the chest, as if trying to protect herself. _"I don't know any more…if things will work out for the best. I feel…lost…alone. Mai… I don't like feeling alone. But I promised myself I would be brave, so that I can help my friends. I just wish I knew what I could do."_

Absentmindedly, or maybe even instinctively, she slipped her right hand into her backpack to run her fingers over her Millennial Item. Shayla's sensitive fingertips felt their way over the cool, metal surface. But for some reason, it felt slightly warm than usual. It wasn't the same warmth from when she used them, but it was warmth nonetheless.

Safety…Security….

Shayla felt herself getting dizzy. It felt like she was falling backwards, though she knew it was impossible, because the wall was there…

xFlashbackx

"Where have you been, daughter?" asked a lady. Shayla was once more watching through eyes that weren't her own. She had never met this woman before, but for some reason, she trusted her instantly.

"Out mother," Shayla felt herself reply. Her head turned and looked at her feet, causing Shayla to lose sight of the woman.

"_My…mother?"_ wondered Shayla. She sounded nothing like Shayla's mother in the present time, from the few times their paths had crossed. The next thought hit her so fast, so suddenly, and so honestly, she was surprised by it. _"I'd rather have her as a mother than my real mother."_

"You're behind in your work. Now set the table. Your father has been working hard with your oldest brothers all day, and they're going to want to eat," ordered the lady.

"Yes mother," she answered, glancing quizzically at her mother.

"Yes, Reuben and Manasseh are joining us tonight," her mother answered the look.

Shayla could feel herself getting excited. She didn't know why. She didn't even know a Reuben or a Manasseh. Then, she realized, that wasn't accurate. Somehow, she _knew_ who they were. Reuben was her oldest brother, and Manasseh the second oldest. They had both already been married, so it had been a long time since she had last eaten dinner with them.

"_What am I thinking?"_ wondered Shayla. _"My brothers? I ate with them? No, this isn't me."_

Shayla sat back and watched as herself went through her evening chores, helping her mother set the table and cook a meal. It all seemed so natural, even though Shayla had never done anything like it in her entire life.

She had just finished setting the last bowl on the table when the door opened. A middle-aged man was the first to enter. Somehow, Shayla instantly knew he was her father. Her older brothers, all eight of them, entered behind him. They all wore the same style of clothing, a dark outer robe with a lighter brown inner robe and sandals.

Reuben entered immediately behind her father. He was the tallest and most built up of the group. He was also the oldest. He had dark navy hair that was shaggy around his ears. His eyes were the same color, if not deeper, than his hair. Shayla somehow knew he was very kind-natured, and acted almost like a second father to her. In fact, he embraced her in a large hug the moment he saw her. Shayla was surprise, but it wasn't unpleasant.

Manasseh was behind him. He had sandy-colored hair that was shorter than his eldest brother. He was barely shorter than Reuben, but he was much thinner, so the difference seemed greater. He clearly took after their mother. He was quieter than Reuben, preferring to work hard by himself. He also was less affectionate, but that did not mean he did not care. He placed a hand on Shayla's shoulder as he passed her.

Shayla could tell the next two were twins, even though she had never "seen" any twins before. They're names were Josech and Dagan. Shayla had no idea how to tell them apart, but yet, she knew nonetheless. They had the same short black hair. They were as tall as Manasseh, but built like Reuben. Their dark eyes shown with the thoughts of mischief. They were the jokers of the family, and always ready to have fun. They winked at Shayla has they entered, and she knew they were plotting something.

Eleazar entered behind them, keeping his chocolate colored eyes on the twins. It was clear he suspected something too. His hair was the same color as Shayla's, which was several shades darker than Manasseh's sandy color, but straight. He wore it long, and could have tied it into a ponytail if he wanted too…if he knew what one was, given it was a different time period. He was the shortest of her brothers, and had Manasseh's thin build. He was quiet too, but that was because he was always watching things. He would have lots to talk about if asked, but never volunteered the information. Eleazar's observations always gave him great insight, and often made him seem like the smartest of her brothers. He, too, embraced Shayla as he walked by.

Seth was the next one to enter the house. He had black hair like the twins, but had Shayla's and Eleazar's eye color. He was the thinnest of her brothers, and often was in the back, in the shadows. He was not social at all, and kept to himself at all costs. He was still fiercely loyal, perhaps more than the rest. Even though Seth never said much, Shayla knew she liked to be with him, just to be with him. They were family after all. He barely glanced at Shayla, but that did not mean he did not care.

Mathias was her seventh brother. His hair was a unique forest green that was always a mess. He was the second shortest, but his build almost made up for that. He was the exact opposite of Seth. He loved to be with people and loved to be the center of attention. Shayla knew she often suspected Mathias of being trained by the twins, Josech and Dagan, to carry on the art of pranking. He still was always kind to Shayla, and sometimes even seemed to go out of his way to help her. He embraced her with a hug so immense she was nearly swept off of her feet.

The last to enter was Jareth. He was lanky and showing signs of not being done with his growth spurts. His hair was black and spiky. His eyes were deep navy to the point of looking black. Their true color only showed in direct sunlight. He was high strung and temperamental, and the family often was worried about him going off on an Egyptian and getting himself arrested. He was bold and rash, but Shayla liked that about him as much as it drove her nuts. She knew, despite his temper, he was dependable. Jareth looked like he wanted to say something to her, but could not get passed their other brothers, so he proceeded to the table.

Surrounded by them, Shayla felt much smaller than she thought she really was. But then, she also began to wonder if she wasn't actually smaller. In the present, Shayla had always been on the tall side. But now, in Egypt, she had guessed that she wasn't as tall. It didn't seem to make much logical sense. Then again, nothing had lately. Since she didn't feel any danger at all, she decided to ride it out. In fact, quite the opposite was true. She felt….safe here.

The family exchanged greetings and small discussions broke out about their day. They all gathered around the table as Shayla and her mother brought the food they had prepared to it. Everyone had their seat, with her father at the head of the table, the brothers down the sides in age order, and Shayla at the very end. It didn't bother her. They were family.

xEnd Flashbackx

Shayla snapped back to her senses, feeling a bit disoriented for a moment. She was slumped against the wall of the airship. The cooler air of the passage further helped pull her from the warm feeling of the Israelite kitchen. Already parts of the vision were fading. She couldn't remember as much about the family she had just seen as she knew a moment ago.

Shayla straightened herself up. All of her concerns about Battle City resurfaced. But this time, they weren't alone. The same feelings of safety, security, and love also circled around her, just like they had 5,000 years ago. Shayla pulled them around her like a blanket, trying to ward off the cold of fear. Her feet were already walking to a room she had spent more time in than her own.

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"W-what happened to her?" asked Kevin, looking down at Mai's unmoving form.

"Marik," replied Tristan, rather harshly.

"Marik?"

"Another one of the finalists, and a total nutcase," answered Duke.

"He doesn't care who he hurts, as long as he can get Yu-Gi's Millennial Puzzle," added Joe.

"And it's not fair," sniffed Serenity. "What did Mai ever do to him?"

Kevin put a hand on her shoulder, causing both Tristan and Duke's eyes to twitch. "I wish I had an answer. She's too good-looking to be suffering," he said to her. Now Joe's eyes were twitching as well.

"Cool it lover-boy!" snapped Joe.

"What did I do?"

"You know exactly what I mean!" shot Joe.

"All I said what that Mai was cute…and she is!" protested Kevin. "Oh! I see! You two are a couple!"

"W-w-w-w-what?!" stammered Joe as Téa and Lara repressed laughter. "That's not it, mouse!"

"M-m-mouse?!" exclaimed Kevin. "I am not a mouse, dog-boy!"

"Grrr!"

"Well, you do growl like one."

By now Tristan and Duke were both repressing laughter as well.

"I'm not going to let you get away with that comment," retorted Joe, reaching over to Kevin and giving him a noogie.

"Not the hair! Not the hair!" protested Kevin.

"There, now we're even," Joe said with a smile.

"Fine…fine," mumbled Kevin, his hands trying to restore his blond spikes. He decided it was best to change the subject. "How did this Marik manage to hurt Mai so badly anyways?

"Erm…um…" The group exchanged rather nervous looks, not sure how much to tell him.

"Does it have something to do with the Millennial Items?" asked Kevin.

It went completely quiet for a moment, while the group eyed him in surprise.

"You know about the Millennial Items?" Joe asked, at length.

"Well, like I said before, just a bit," replied Kevin, cautiously.

"How?"

"Remember? My dad was an archaeologist."

"What did he tell you about the Millennial Items?" asked Drake.

"Well, dad would talk about them a lot, but I didn't really listen. I mean, it was all these myths about magic and stuff. I didn't believe any of it until I met you guys," answered Kevin.

"It's all real," admitted Yu-Gi with a sigh. "Marik used the Millennial Rod to slowly seal Mai's mind in the Shadow Realm. We need to beat him, quick, to save her."

"He's not going to get away with this," added Joe, tersely. "We're going to save her!"

"Calm down Joe," said Duke. "Yelling isn't going to help anything." Joe went quiet, but an unmistakable fire did not fade from his eyes.

"Attention duelists," said a voice over the PA. "All finalists are to report to the Kaiba Corp. Duel Tower."

"Great! Time to kick Marik's butt!" exclaimed Joe, adjusting his duel disk on his forearm.

"We must be careful, Joe," cautioned Yu-Gi. "Marik can't be underestimated. He's hurt a lot of people already."

"I have my eyes on a different ego-maniac," replied Drake.

"Yeah right, Kaiba won't even let you duel," retorted Tristan.

"He had better!" exclaimed Drake. "I got six locator cards, and according to the Battle City rules, I am finalist too!"

"Calm down," said Kevin. "I'm sure your wife wouldn't want to see you get all worked up over Kaiba."

Drake was suddenly seized by a fit of coughing as his face matched his hair in color.

Lara blinked a few times in surprised, then started laughing. "We're not married, yet," she said, winking at Drake, who only seemed to turn redder. He had been doing rather well lately in controlling his blushing, but this time it had returned with reinforcements.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" apologized Kevin, looking a bit ashamed by his mistake. "Just…the way you two were acting… I thought you two were newlyweds or something."

Joe, Tristan, and Duke all started laughing, as well.

"Kev, that's a good one. I'm going to have to remember it," chortled Joe.

"You have to admit, he got you two good," added Duke. "We all know how you two act."

"I get the point," muttered Drake, trying to compose himself.

"Nothing to be ashamed about, I think it's romantic," cooed Téa.

"You guys need to get going," reminded Serenity. "The tournament is still going on…"

"…no thanks to rich-boy. Kaiba doesn't know when to take a break," interrupted Joe.

"But you guys still need to compete, to save Mai," continued Serenity. "You need to go."

"She's right," agreed Yu-Gi. "The fate of the world is at stake."

"The world?" asked Kevin.

"We'll fill you in on the way," groaned Tristan.

"Good luck!" called Serenity. "I'm going to stay with Mai."

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Ishizu knew who was at her door before she opened it. The gentle knock gave it away, but Ishizu also could tell, somehow instinctively, who it was before she even heard the knock.

"Hello, child," greeted Ishizu.

"Hi, Lady Ishizu," replied Shayla as she entered the eighth finalist's room.

"You seem tense about something," said Ishizu, looking Shayla over as she felt her way to one of the plush seats in the middle of the suite.

"I'm worried…about so much," answered Shayla. She crossed her arms protectively across her chest as soon as she set her backpack by her feet. She was still wearing the feeling that had lingered from the prior vision like a warm blanket. She wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible. The details of the vision were blurry now, but the feeling had yet to fade.

"As I…" agreed Ishizu, taking the seat opposite of her. Shayla was busy digging in her backpack, and pulled out her Millennial Item. She set them on the table in front of them.

Ishizu's eyes went wide and she gasped. _"That energy pattern from the Millennial Scales! They have been used recently! I do not believe…!"_ Her eyes scanned her student more carefully, but she could not see the emotion she was looking for. _"Can it be that Shayla has tapped into the scales' ability to summon the final judge, the Devourer, and is unaware of it? And who was it that Ammit was sent to judge? Her skills with her Millennial Item are growing, and she seems completely unaware of it! I feel there is something at work here that the future must reveal."_ Her hand absently brushed her neck.

"I don't think there's much time left," Shayla said, biting her lower lip. "I have to do something to try to reach Mai in the Shadow Realm. I don't want to lose my best friend." Her voice threatened to crack with the last sentence.

"It will not be easy, Shayla," said Ishizu. "The darkness within my brother has grown strong, the light is almost gone. It will not be easy to break his hold on his victims." Worry also laced her tone.

"I must try," answered Shayla. "I don't want to lose another friend." This time her voice did crack.

Ishizu's blue-grey eyes studied Shayla for a moment before she answered. _"Her expression is so familiar. It is the same as the past; hope, determination, and concern all woven together."_

Ishizu changed what she was planning on saying. Instead, she asked, "Is there something else you wish to tell me, child?"

Shayla went completely silent, unsure of how much to tell. She did know that she could not deny Ishizu's question. That would be a lie, and the scales had made it physically impossible for her to lie. "I…I am not sure. I've been having these…I guess they're dreams, but I sometimes I wonder if they're more than that…"

"Ishizu!" bellowed a voice from the door. Both girls jumped.

"Oh no…" Shayla exhaled under her breath.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Ishizu, glaring at the dark spirit which had engulfed her brother.

"Where is Odion?" demanded Yami Marik.

Ishizu stood up, glaring daggers at him. Shayla remained sitting, her hands tightly gripping the armrests.

"Why would I tell you?" she shot to Yami Marik.

"That fool is the only one capable of stopping me," answered Yami Marik. "Therefore he must be disposed of. I'm going to send him to the Shadow Realm." He laughed. Ishizu frowned, not letting up on her glare at all. "If you insist on defending him, you can share his fate!"

"You're not going to get away with this," hissed Ishizu.

"And you're going to stop me?" mocked Yami Marik. He raised the Millennial Rod to eye level.

Ishizu did not reply, save for continuing the hard look she was giving him.

"You're nothing!" laughed Yami Marik. "You gave away the one thing that could protect you from me! You no longer possess the Millennial Necklace, and without that, you're just another foolish mortal!" Ishizu's eyes went wide, and her hand flew to her neck, but the Millennial Necklace was gone. She had given it to Yu-Gi and Yami the prior day. "You can join your father in the Shadow Realm."

Yami Marik crossed the room, and stood in front of Ishizu. Her brought the Millennial Rod to the left side of her face. Beads of sweat instantly formed on her forehead. Her eyes wavered and focused on the golden item directly in front of her.

"Is this fear I see in your eyes? I think I like it!" laughed Yami Marik.

Shayla was on her feet that moment, standing beside Ishizu. "L-leave her alone!" countered Shayla, her right hand grabbing her scales off of the table. The Eye of Horus on her scales glittered momentarily.

Yami Marik turned and eyed her a moment, clearly not threatened. However, she was the bearer of a Millennial Item, and he was not willing to get into a clash of Millennial Items yet, no matter how weak she seemed.

"Attention all duelists, please report to the Kaiba Corp. Duel Tower so the semi-finals can commence," came a voice over the PA.

Yami Marik turned and headed for the door. "Fate has spared you for the moment, Ishizu. But I will return and finish our little talk later, so you had better give me the answer I seek." He flounced away.

Ishizu glared at his back as he left, her upper lip curled in a bit.

Shayla flopped back into her chair, shaking badly, her scales already sitting on the table again. "It's u-u-useless. I-I can't d-do it," she stammered. "I c-can't even k-keep a promise t-to myself. H-How c-can I k-keep a promise to m-my friend?"

"What do you mean, child?" asked Ishizu, kneeling beside her.

"I promised myself t-that I would stop being afraid," answered Shayla. "But it's useless. I'm still t-terrified about everything going on."

"That's not true Shayla, you were very brave just now."

"No I wasn't." She hung her head low. "I was scared out of my mind. If they hadn't announced the finals, I think I would have collapsed. I c-can't handle this. I'm not brave at all."

"Shayla, it's not like that at all," replied Ishizu, placing a hand on her upper arm. "Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is continuing despite fear. I know you were scared just now, but you acted bravely despite your fear. That makes you brave."

"I don't feel it…."

"You should. Trust yourself, because you have all you need within you."

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The duelists and cheerleaders filed off of the airship and stepped onto Kaiba Corp. Island. The island was a mess. The ground was so littered with rusted scrap metal it could pass for a dump. Contrasting that, in the middle was a large, shining, high-tech tower. It looked like a series of lightning bolts fused together.

"What is this freaky place?" asked Joe, scanning the piles of metal.

"This is Kaiba Corp. Island, the location of the very first Kaiba Corp. building," answered Seto Kaiba, in a tone loud enough it carried to everyone present. "When I took over Kaiba Corp., I tore the old building down and built Kaiba Corp. Duel Tower. This island represents the success of new over the old."

"That explains a lot…" muttered Drake.

"This place is a dump," said Joe, thinking along the same lines as Drake, but seriously lacking tack. "Oh well, I'm gonna kick total butt here. So you'd better watch out rich boy, cause I'm going to take you down."

"You're not in my league, Wheeler," retorted Kaiba. "The only reason you got in this tournament to begin with is because someone screwed up at registration. And the only reason you've last this long is because you can stand when no one else could. Don't delude yourself into thinking you're a competent duelist, because you are anything but."

"GRRRR! Get back here and say that to my face!" threatened Joe, Tristan and Duke instantly jumping forward to hold him back.

"He's not worth it," hissed Duke.

"Save it for the duel," added Tristan.

"Yeah! You hear that Kaiba, I'm gonna cream you in a duel!" shouted Joe. Seto Kaiba continued walking towards the duel tower completely unconcerned.

"Calm down, Joe," said Yami, who had taken over at the prospect of an upcoming duel.

"Right…" muttered Joe, half-heartedly.

"How pathetic," cackled a deep voice.

"Not him…" groaned Téa.

Yami Marik had exited the blimp, as well. He had mounted one of the piles of junk, and was now staring down at the group.

"Is that Marik?" asked Kevin.

"Yup," replied Tristan.

"I don't like him already," said Kevin.

"It won't be long now, pharaoh," taunted Yami Marik, glaring down at Yami. "Soon your Millennial Puzzle will be mine, and with it the whole world!"

"Marik, you will not win! I promise you that!" shouted Yami.

"You're going to regret hurting our friends!" added Joe, raising a fist.

Yami Marik laughed. "It won't be long pharaoh until you taste the flames of my Winged Dragon of Ra! But in the mean time, maybe I should introduce some more of your friends to the shadows." His eyes swept the group, a sadistic smirk plastered across his face.

"Marik! Leave my friends out of this! Your fight is with me!" shouted Yami Yu-Gi.

Yami Marik's next laugh was cut short.

"You're wrong Marik, I'm going to be your opponent in the finals, not Yu-Gi," shot Kaiba.

"Yeah right, I'm taking you down rich-boy!" snapped Joe. He then turned and glared up the trash heap at Yami Marik. "You're going down too, artichoke head, for what you did to Mai!"

"The shadows will be hungry for your flesh, mortal," replied Yami Marik, before he continued on to the duel tower.

"I wouldn't be making promises you can't deliver, Wheeler," snapped Kaiba. "You won't stand a chance in the next round."

"Take that back!" shouted Joe, once again trying to jump Kaiba, once again being restrained by Tristan and Duke. "You're mine!"

"He's mine, Joe, sorry," said Drake, adjusting the duel disk on his arm.

"What are you doing, Pegasus?" asked Kaiba, harshly.

"Competing," answered Drake. "I won six locator cards, therefore, according to your own rules, I'm a finalist too."

"Think again," retorted Kaiba. "You missed the preliminaries. You don't qualify for a place in the semi-finals."

"You can't change the rules as you go, Kaiba!" snapped Drake, embers dancing in his eyes.

"I don't waste my time with dragon-duelist wanna-bes," said Kaiba, turning his back on Drake and again walking into the duel tower.

"How dare he?!" exclaimed Drake, now being held back by Lara.

"You can't treat people like this, Kaiba," snapped Kevin. "What did we ever do to you?!"

"What? Has the mouse found his voice?" said Kaiba. "Don't make me laugh. You're worth even less of my time."

"What did you call me?!" demanded Kevin, who had to be restrained by Téa.

"Does he have a death wish or something?" asked Lara. "Kaiba's going to get pounded if he doesn't learn to hold his tongue."

"He'll be safe as long as we're here to hold everyone else back," said Duke.

"Sometimes I wonder why we do," said Tristan. "I think we should just let Joe pound him into the ground. Like Lara said, Kaiba's asking for it."

"You know if Joe tried to fight Kaiba he's be the one on the ground," said Duke.

"Good point," agreed Tristan.

"Hey! I heard that!" shouted Joe.

"Save your energy for the duel, Joe," said Yami, entering the duel tower also.

The inside the duel tower was nothing like the outside. It was all silver steel. The walls were smooth and virtually seamless. There was no furnishings or windows at all. The only things in the room were four doors, leading into darkness, and an escalator. Rollin, the official, and Mokuba were already standing in the middle of the empty room.

"What is this place?" asked Téa, looking around.

"Probably something for another one of Kaiba's ego trips," muttered Drake.

"Will each finalist choose a different door to enter?" announced Rollin, telling them what to do.

"Choose a door?" asked Joe, eyeing up the four doors, one in each corner of the tower.

"Apparently," said Yami.

Drake moved to enter one.

"Where do you think you're going, Pegasus?" snapped Kaiba.

Drake fanned his six locator cards. "Follow your own rules for once Kaiba. I'm a finalist and you know it! Though I guess you just don't want me to compete because you know you can't beat me!"

"You're not a finalist! Try to interfere, and you can swim home!" threatened Kaiba.

"Drake, please, he's not worth this stress," pleaded Lara, noticing her boyfriend's hands were curling into tight fists.

"I wouldn't mind have a chance to take that ego down," said Kevin.

"Well, here goes nothing," said Joe. "One potato, two potato, three potato, four…" He pointed to a door with each syllable.

"_How did that fool ever make it that far?"_ wondered Kaiba, walking into one door.

"You're kidding me, right?" sweat-dropped Lara.

"Sadly no," groaned Tristan, as they continued to watch Joe pick his door.

"And potato says that one!" exclaimed Joe, pointing to the door behind Yami Marik. Yami Marik smirked and entered the same door. "Hey! I choose that one! I had dibs!"

"Just enter the door closest to you," said Yami, picking the door closest to himself.

"What about my potato song?" whined Joe as he entered the remaining door.

Each door led to a tiny room, no bigger than a large closet. A pod-like platform was in the back of each room. Each duelist stood on this platform. There was the sound of the whirling of machines as the duel tower came to life. The platforms jumped upward. They were really elevators, taking the duelists to the second level.

"Come on, this way!" said Mokuba, motioning everyone else to follow him up the escalator.

They all did, curious as to where their friends had been taken to.

The next level was as furnished as the first. The pods with the duelists were already in position. The pods had stopped about ten feet from the floor, each by a large lit sign reading the number 4000. Yami Marik was staring at everyone defiantly, his arms across his chest. Kaiba's arms were crossed too, though he was looking a bit bored and a bit impatient. Yami looked confident and yet curious. Joe looked completely baffled.

"What the?! What's going on here?" asked Joe, his eyes darting all over the place.

"Rollin will explain the rules," said Kaiba. "I've asked him to speak slowly and use one syllable words so you'll be able to understand."

"Hey!" growled Joe, though he couldn't do much, being stuck in the pod.

"This duel will be a four-way free for all," announced Rollin, loudly. "Each duelist is free to attack whomever he wants. This duel will have no effect on your place in the finals. I repeat, this duel will have no effect on your place in the finals. Instead, this duel will determine your opponent in the semi-finals. The first two duelists who's life points reach 0 will duel each other in the semi-finals."

"Hey! It's a duel to see who duels!" exclaimed Joe.

"Leave it to Kaiba to find some difficult way to determine the finals," muttered Drake. "He probably didn't want me to compete, because he knew Joe, Yu-Gi and I would triple team him."

"I'd make it a quadruple team," added Kevin.

"In order to determine who will go first in this duel, each duelist is to select a monster card from his deck," Rollin continued. "The monster with the highest attack points will go first, and the monster with the lowest will go last. However, the monster chosen cannot be used during the duel at all."

"So if they want to go first, they have to give up a powerful monster from their decks," said Duke, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Kaiba has the advantage then," grumbled Drake.

"What do you mean?" asked Téa.

"Well, he probably made that rule, about the person who gives up the strongest monster goes first," said Drake.

"Yeah, makes sense," agreed Kevin.

"What's your point?" asked Tristan.

"It means Kaiba could have slipped in a really powerful monster that he doesn't need, just to make sure he went first," explained Drake.

"That jerk!" snapped Kevin.

"Wait, we don't know if he did that or not guys. Let's not jump to conclusions," said Téa.

"You're as right as you are beautiful," said Kevin.

"Oh brother…" groaned Tristan, while Téa blinked blankly.

"It does seem like something he might try, though," agreed Lara, slipping closer to Drake.

"Have you all chosen your card?" asked Rollin. "Now, show the monster that you have chosen." The four finalists flipped their cards over for all to see. Rollin quickly scanned the cards. "The order will go as follows; Mr. Kaiba, Marik Ishtar, Yu-Gi Motou, and Joe Wheeler."

"Let's duel!" they all said at the same instant.

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Shayla had finally gotten a grip on herself and stopped shaking. Her and Ishizu were one of the few still on the blimp, which had gone so quiet it was almost eerie. Ishizu kept glancing out her window at the duel tower and biting her lip. Shayla could not see her concern, but she picked up on it nonetheless. Her fifth sense was in-tune to moods in people, magic, and even the weather. Many would call it a sixth sense, but in Shayla's case it was her fifth sense.

"What is it, Lady Ishizu?" asked Shayla.

"I fear the worst is yet to come," she answered, at great length. "I cannot see the future any more, but I can still sense that there is trouble ahead."

"I'm worried about the same thing," agreed Shayla. "I've felt it ever since this tournament began." Worry lines appeared on her forehead.

"Trust your heart to guide you through the storm," said Ishizu, also picking up on her concern.

"I don't feel strong right now at all…But I know I need to be. My best friend needs me."

However, it is true that the strength of your heart will determine how your scales will respond. You must find the strength inside that others see in you, then you'll be able to break the rod's power on Mai." Her tone wavered on the last sentence.

"What is it, Lady Ishizu?" asked Shayla.

Lady Ishizu turned away, focusing on the duel tower. "I only wish it was that easy to save my brother from the darkness that has engulfed him. But since Odion, who was the guardian of my brother's soul, was rendered unconscious in the duel, the darkness inside of my brother has grown powerful. …I only hope…but hope seems so fragile right now."

"I don't know much about families, at all," said Shayla. "But I think your brother needs you, right now."

Ishizu turned and looked at her, studying her for a moment. But the majority of Shayla's expression was hidden behind her sunglasses. _"She cannot lie, being the bearer of the scales."_

Shayla paused for a long moment, thinking about what she was going to offer. She knew the odds of a shadow game happening were high, but her promise to herself prompted her to speak. "Let's go to the duel, together."

"…It hurts to see my brother like this," Ishizu admitted.

"I can't say I'd know what that was like…" said Shayla, for a rare moment bringing attention she hated to her disability. "But, after being with everyone hear for so long, and after the virtual world, I now know it is important for us to stick closely to those we care about."

"_How ironic the virtual world taught me about pulling together, when they completely forgot about me,"_ Shayla realized a moment later. She had not been part of their support then, but she had been in a position to hear it all, and she was surprised what an impact that had made in her.

"Yes…you are right," admitted Ishizu. _"She still has the simple, pure-hearted insight she possessed so long ago. I just wish she would trust herself more and let it shine."_

"I'll go with you."

Ishizu took a deep breath and slowly let it go. "Yes. Come on. Let's go."

Shayla stood and followed in behind the sound of Ishizu's footsteps as they headed into the hallway. Ishizu was walking slowly, her brother first in her thoughts. Shayla had one hand on the wall, walking just as she had on the boat to the Duelist Kingdom, in what seemed like another lifetime ago.

On their way out, they happened to walk by the hospital wing. It was on the lowest level, next to storage, which made it close to the entrance/exit. Ishizu, being a finalist, had a suite on one of the upper levels.

"Ishizu, Shayla," called Serenity as they passed.

"What is it, Serenity?" asked Ishizu, stopping. She entered the room only a step.

"Where are you going? I thought everyone was in the duel tower," said Serenity.

"That's where we are going," answered Shayla.

"Wish my brother good luck for me, please," requested Serenity.

"We will," agreed Ishizu.

Shayla paused. "H-How's Mai?"

"She hasn't changed at all. She hasn't moved or said anything," replied Serenity, quietly.

Shayla's head lowered. "I'll be back after the duel. I'm going to try to help her."

"I hope you can snap her out of it," said Serenity. "My brother has been trying really hard too. He wants to duel Marik. He thinks beating Marik in a duel with save Mai." Ishizu's eyes wavered.

"None of us have given up yet," said Shayla, softly. Then, even softer, she said, "Don't give up on us Mai."

The last line had been so quiet that Ishizu barely heard it. She glanced over at her student, catching Shayla's posture and expression.

"_She's lonely,"_ Ishizu realized, almost like an epiphany.

"Serenity, thank you for staying with Mai," said Shayla.

"It's the least I can do. I really look up to her."

"So do I," admitted Shayla.

"We will be back shortly, Serenity," said Ishizu. "Good-bye."

"Bye, and be careful," said Serenity. "And don't forget to tell my brother!"

"We won't," said Shayla, following the sound of Ishizu's footsteps down the hall and out of the airship.

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The duel was progressing, and it was more intense than anyone had imagined. Each of the four duelists had his own priorities he was trying to push, while defend himself for everyone else's agenda. At the moment, Kaiba had two face down cards, Marik had one face down card and Lord Poison in attack mode, Yami Yu-Gi had a face down card and Big Shield Guardna in defense mode, and Joe had one face down card. Joe was also the only one who had lost life points. He was at 3300. His pod had risen higher in the duel tower, closer to a lit sign with the number 3000 on it.

"_I need to make sure Marik and Wheeler are the first out of this duel,"_ thought Kaiba. _"I need to face Yu-Gi in the semi-finals and win Slifer the Sky Dragon with Obelisk the Tormentor. Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra is clearly the strongest god card, so I'll need both Slifer and Obelisk to win it. Then I'll reclaim my title as the world's best duelist and have the strongest deck in the world!"_

"_I don't care which of these fools I face in the semi-finals,"_ thought Yami Marik. _"Sooner or later I will duel the pharaoh, and then his Millennial Puzzle will be mine, along with infinite power! But in the mean time I'll have fun sending his friends slowly into the Shadow Realm."_

"_I should be the one to face Marik,"_ thought Yami. _"He's hurt too many people already, and I'm the one he's after. I need to duel him before anyone else gets hurt. Then the fate of the world can be peace again."_

"_As much as I want to kick Kaiba's sorry behind, I have other things to worry about," _thought Joe. _"I made a promise to Mai to save her! So I have to beat Marik in a duel to get her mind out of the Shadow Realm. So I need to duel Marik as soon as possible, because Mai is running out of time!"_

"I sacrifice my Big Shield Guardna and summon Beast of Gilfer in attack mode!" announced Yami. His newest monster appeared in front of him. The Beast of Gilfer had 2200 attack points. "Now, Beast of Gilfer, attack Kaiba's life points directly!"

"Reveal trap card, Attack Guidance Armor!" announced Seto, turning over one of his cards. "This trap redirects your attack to somewhere else, and I chose Marik's Lord Poison!"

"Nice try," smirked Yami Marik. "Mirror Force redirects that attack to the pharaoh!" The attack blasted through his monster, but turned before it hit him, now targeting Yami.

"I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit!" declared Yami, flipping over his trap card. "Seven Tools of the Bandit allows me to negate any trap card, and I choose Mirror Force!"

The bouncing ball of raw energy turned once again, nailing Yami Marik directly. His life points dropped to 3300. The pod supporting Yami Marik jumped up several feet, even with Joe.

"How's the weather up here?" smirked Joe.

Yami's pod also moved too, his stopping once he was even with the 3000 mark. Seven Tools of the Bandit cost 1000 life points to play.

"Way to go, big brother!" cheered Mokuba.

"Now Yu-Gi is in last place," moaned Téa.

"I think he lost those life points on purpose, Téa," said Tristan.

"Makes sense…" said Téa.

"No it doesn't," muttered Kevin.

"That was completely insane," remarked Lara. "It was like watching a tennis match or something."

"I should be up there too," muttered Drake, incredibly bitterly.

"I can hardly keep track of it all," said Tristan. "Everyone is trying to duel someone else in the semi-finals."

"I just hope no one else gets hurt," said Téa.

"It's not that hard, Tristan," said Duke. "The person they don't attack is who they want to duel. Kaiba has been attacking Joe and Marik, so he wants to duel Yu-Gi. Marik attacked Kaiba, then Yu-Gi, so it looks like he's after Joe. Yu-Gi attacked Kaiba, so he probably wants to duel Marik."

"Poor Joe hasn't even been able to attack yet," said Téa.

"Just his luck, too," muttered Tristan.

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Ishizu and Shayla made it to the duel tower, but it had mostly locked down for the duel. The main entrance was sealed shut. Ishizu, not willing to give up then, circled the building. They managed to find an emergency elevator on the outside, behind the duel tower. They entered, and Ishizu pushed the up button. The elevator started, taking them straight to the top of the duel tower.

"_Don't think about it. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think,"_ Shayla said to herself.

"Are you okay, Shayla?" asked Ishizu. Shayla gave a half-hearted nod, but said nothing.

"_I'm trying to be there for my friends, like I promised,"_ thought Shayla. _"But if this turns into a shadow game…I don't think I can handle much more of this."_

"_Marik…do not give up,"_ thought Ishizu. _"The darkness is so strong now…"_ She was not willing to say it, but she had almost given up on hope too.

"Shayla, thank you," said Ishizu.

"What do you mean?"

"You're right, I should be there for my brother."

"Y-you're welcome, but I should be thanking you, for spending so much time with me."

Ishizu nodded, not that Shayla picked up on the response. _"With all of the others here, why does Shayla spend so much time with me? Something has changed about her since this morning. But what could have happened?"_

The elevator came to a stop and the door opened, both girls stepping off. They were on the roof of the duel tower. Four doors, one in each corner, marked where four more internal elevators were. There was a duel platform shaped hole in the middle of the roof, clearly waiting for the platform to unfold for us. Voices from within the tower filter up from the hole. Ishizu walked over to it. Shayla started too, but stopped part of the way there. The wind whipped gentle through their clothing, and the voices sounded far below them. Her hands started to shake, her patched walking stick twitching on the metal surface ever so slightly.

"Tell me what is wrong," insisted Ishizu.

"I-I h-hate heights," stammered Shayla.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Ishizu. Shayla didn't reply. "You do not have to stay if you do not want."

"I said I would, so I will stay," replied Shayla. "I'll just stay right here…I don't want to be close to the edge…"

Sound travels upward better, so they could hear the duel easily, while no one else could hear their conversation.

Currently, Kaiba had two face down cards as well as his Blade Knight in attack mode. Yami Marik had his Dark Geriod in attack mode. Yami still had his Beast of Gilfer, and Joe had no cards on the field at all. Marik was in last place with 1700 life points. Kaiba was down to 2200. Yami still had 3000, and Joe had 3200.

"Beast of Gilfer, attack Marik's Dark Geriod!" ordered Yami.

"Wait, Yu-Gi," called Joe.

"What is it?" asked Yami.

"You should be attacking me."

"Joe!"

"He's lost it," muttered Tristan.

"Give it up Wheeler, the only reason you've made it this far is because Yu-Gi has been protecting you this entire time. You don't have any dueling skills on your own, so you rely on luck and your friends to bail you out. You've been hiding in Yu-Gi's shadow this entire time," taunted Kaiba.

"Kaiba! That's enough!" snapped Yami. "Your taunts have gone too far this time!"

"No, he's right," said Joe.

"Yup, definitely lost it," agreed Kevin.

"Yu-Gi, you have to quit protecting me! I'm the easiest target here, so you should be attacking me! You have to start treating me like everyone else you do, or you're not being my friend!" shouted Joe.

"Fine. Beast of Gilfer, attack Joe's life points directly!" ordered Yami. His monster shot forward and up, slicing across Joe's chest. Joe's life point counter dropped to 800, and his pod shot up the tower.

"Thanks, Yu-Gi! It's the best thing you've ever do for me!" exclaimed Joe, bracing himself as the pod suddenly rose.

"Now Joe is in last place," whined Téa.

"Don't worry," said Kevin, taking her hand. "I'm sure he'll pull through."

"Hey Romeo, why don't you focus on the duel a bit?" asked Duke, very sarcastically. Kevin shrugged.

"Someone had better kick Kaiba's butt soon, before I do it for real," said Drake, sourly.

"I agree. Someone needs to take a weed whacker to his ego," said Tristan.

"Then they can use that weed whacker on Marik's hair," snickered Lara.

"My turn!" said Joe. "Perfect! I summon Axe Raider in attack mode! Now, Axe Raider, attack rich-boy's Blade Knight!" His warrior monster had 1700 attack points.

"What is he thinking?! Kaiba has two face down cards!" exclaimed Duke.

"I activate Ring of Destruction!" announced Kaiba. A collar appeared around Joe's monster's neck. In a bright flash of light, the Axe Raider was gone. "Ring of Destruction takes the destroyed monster's attack points from both of our life points. But I activate Ring of Defense, which shields my own life points."

Smoke began to cover the field from the combo. A moment later it cleared. But instead of Joe's pod rising to the 0 mark, it was Yami Marik's.

"What gives?!" demanded Yami Marik.

"Ha ha!" laughed Joe. "I activate Graverobber. This little guy slipped into your graveyard and grabbed a magic card, Spell of Pain. Sound familiar? Spell of Pain takes the life points I lost and gives them to you! So bye-bye! Have a nice ride!"

"Grow-up, Wheeler," shot Kaiba. Joe shrugged. "Blade Knight, attack his life points directly!" Kaiba's monster charged, slicing Joe across his chest.

"Yes! I'm dueling Marik!" cheered Joe as his pod rose to the 0 mark.

"The semi-finals will go as followed," announced Rollin. "First will be Marik Ishtar versus Joseph Wheeler. Then Mr. Kaiba will duel Yu-Gi Motou."

All four pods suddenly lurched up at an insane speed, taking the finalists to the top of the duel tower.

"Come on guys," said Mokuba, gesturing to an elevator. "We don't want to miss the next duel."

Up top the finalists stepped off of their pods and into the sunlight.

"So, sister, you decided to come out of hiding?" mocked Yami Marik. "Perhaps I should finish what we talked about?" An evil smirk slid across his face. Ishizu leveled a frosty glare at him.

"Ishizu! Shayla!" called Yami. "It is good to see you two here."

"Thank you, my pharaoh," replied Ishizu.

"_Shayla has been here this whole time?!"_ thought Kaiba, in disbelief. _"How much of what I said did she hear?!"_ He hadn't considered how harsh and cruel he had sounded, until the prospect of what Shayla thought about those words crossed his mind. _"If she did hear everything, she'll never want to be with me. Then again, once I am crowned the world's best duelist and possess all the Egyptian god cards, Shayla is bound to be impressed."_

A smaller voice chimed in the back of his head. _"You still have to tell her first."_ He pushed that voice aside.

"No offense Ishizu, but I'm gonna kick your brother's butt," said Joe.

"Please do so," said Ishizu, maintaining her harsh look on her brother's dark side.

"Everyone is here already," said Duke as the last elevator arrived.

"Ishizu? Shayla? I didn't know you two were here," said Téa.

"Nice to see you two out and about," commented Lara.

There was the sudden sound of gears grinding and machinery running. The duel platform unfolded, covering the hole in the roof.

"This duel will commence instantly," announced Rollin. "Will the two finalists please take their places?"

23


	14. The Wrath of Ra

"Wish me luck guys," said Joe, turning to his friends and smiling. "I'm going to win this duel and save Mai from the Shadow Realm."

"It's your fault she's there in the first place," shot Shayla, a whole lot more bitterly than she thought she was capable of.

"Hey!" exclaimed Joe, completely surprised.

"You lied to her and look what happened!" snapped Shayla.

"It…it was an honest mistake!" protested Joe. The rest of the group was staring at them in disbelief.

"Shayla, calm down," said Téa.

Shayla said nothing; she merely crossed her arms. She had no idea where that explosion at Joe had come from. Though, she knew what she had just said had to be what she believed was true, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to say it.

"Don't think you're the only one here who is worried about her, Shayla," said Joe, harshly, before continuing to the duel platform.

"This should be over quick," muttered Kaiba, under his breath.

"Come on bro, I know you can cream this freak," said Kevin. "I saw how you dueled in the virtual world. You can win!"

"He has to," said Téa, a bit softly. "After what's happened to everyone whose lost to Marik…"

"If he wins, then Mai will wake up," said Tristan. "Right?"

"I think so," said Téa. "And I know Joe promised he'd try to save her. He also promised Yu-Gi he'd help him stop Marik. Joe's going to be dueling his heart out out there."

"He's going to have to, to beat the Winged Dragon of Ra," commented Duke.

Drake's ears perked. "Winged Dragon of Ra?"

"Is that the god card we've been hearing about?" asked Lara.

"Yup," replied Tristan.

"Dragon…." murmured Drake.

"Earth to Drake, get your head out of the clouds," said Duke.

"Wow, and I thought I liked dragons," commented Kevin, noticing the semi-spacey look on Drake's face.

"_He doesn't stand a chance against Ra,"_ thought Kaiba, crossing his arms. _"Though it will be useful for me to see Ra in action, so I know how to beat it when I challenge Marik in the final round. At least Wheeler is good for that much."_

"Brother…" said Ishizu, softly, as Yami Marik took his place on the left hand side of the field.

"I know…" Shayla murmured to her.

"The duel will now commence," announced Rollin. "The finalists will exchange decks for shuffling." Joe and Yami Marik stepped forward on the platform.

On the sides, the spectators spread out for the best positions to watch the duel. Kaiba and Mokuba were on the back and on the left side. Shayla and Ishizu were in the middle on the left hand side. Shayla had positioned herself in the middle of the sidelines, as far from the edges as she could guess. Yami, Téa, Tristan, Kevin, and Duke were on the right hand side, closest to Joe. Drake and Lara were on the right hand side as well, in the middle, exactly opposite of Ishizu and Shayla.

"Come on, pineapple head, let's duel!" shouted Joe.

"If you're that eager to share the fate of your friend Mai, then by all means, let's duel," smirked Yami Marik. "I'll go first. I summon Gilgarth in attack mode, then I set one card face down." His first monster appeared in a flash of light, directly in front of him. It had 1800 attack points.

"I'll set one card face down as well," said Joe, starting his first turn. "The I summon Alligator Sword in defense mode." His reptilian warrior appeared directly in front of him. It only had 1200 defense points.

An evil grin slid up Yami Marik's face. "Let's make this more interesting!" He raised the Millennial Rod high. A small cloud of pure darkness formed on its tip, and quickly grew until it engulfed the entire top of the duel tower.

"Oh no!" gasped Téa.

"Not again…" groaned Tristan.

"Not a Shadow Game!" gasped Drake.

"I had been hoping against hope…" muttered Shayla.

"What is going on Seto?" asked Mokuba, slipping closer to his older brother.

"It's just some cheap trick, Mokuba. Don't worry about it," Kaiba brushed off the now commonplace magic.

"Come on Joe, we know you can still win this," cheered Tristan.

"Marik…" growled Yami, glaring daggers across the field.

"Now doesn't this look familiar?" gloated Yami Marik. "Oh yes, this was the same way I sent your friend Mai into the shadows."

"Watch it buster!" snapped Joe.

"I wonder how she's doing?" laughed Yami Marik, raising the rod once more.

Mai appeared, trapped within a double pyramid shaped hourglass. She was slowly being buried by sand, only her shoulders and above were uncovered, though more sand was pouring in by the moment.

"Is anyone there?" she cried, weakly. Her eyes were unfocused, staring blankly upward. Her head was resting on one side of the glass pyramid. "Someone help…"

"Mai!" gasped Joe. Everyone else looked too horrified to say anything.

"Marik! That's enough!" shouted Yami. "You're fight is with me! Let my friends go!"

"These pathetic mortals are too fun to destroy pharaoh," smirked Yami Marik. "And I love watch you squirm as I break each and every one of them!"

"Mai…" Shayla said, her hands clenched tightly, shoulders vibrating slightly. It hurt more than she could tell, to hear her friend in grave trouble like that, and to be able to do nothing.

Kaiba had been looking like he was going to comment, but one look at Shayla, and his eyes dropped. Something like guilt flickered across his face so fast that no one caught it. He had not cared before about all those who had been hurting during the tournament, always finding some excuse to justify it. But seeing Shayla distraught over the fate of her friend was the first thing to open his eyes to that problem. Not that he would ever admit that.

Yami Marik lowered the rod, and Mai and the hourglass disappeared.

"If that doesn't give me a reason to cream you, then nothing will!" shouted Joe.

Yami Marik laughed. "You might want to look at the field again."

Joe glanced down. There was a glowing green cord coming from the heart of his monster. The cord was connected to both Joe and Alligator Sword's hearts. Likewise, Yami Marik's Gilgarth was connected to him.

"What gives?!" gasped Joe.

"I don't like this one bit," growled Drake. "Marik is trying to play dirty."

"It's a Shadow Game, they're never pretty," replied Lara.

"What is going on?" asked Kevin. "I don't know of a card that does that."

"It means Joe can be in real trouble," answered Téa.

"But that's nothing new, is it?" asked Tristan, rhetorically.

"Our monsters are now connected to us. Any pain that they feel we will feel. As they are destroyed, we will lose energy too," Yami Marik haughtily explained to Joe. "I summon Drillago to the field in attack mode." This monster was a machine type. As its name implies, it was covered in drills. Its stats were 1600 and 1100. "Now Drillago, attack his Alligator Sword!" Drillgo charged forward and shredded Joe's only monster. Luckily, Alligator Sword had been in defense mode. Unluckily, Marik's new rules were in play.

Joe screamed, clutched his chest, and dropped to one knee. The cord that had connected him to his monster broke into colored bits and vanished.

"Joe!" gasped Tristan.

"What just happened?!" demanded Duke.

"It has to be the Shadow Game," growled Drake. "He wasn't kidding when he said they'd feel the same pain as their monsters!"

"That's not playing fair!" protested Lara.

"It's a Shadow Game, who ever said it was going to be fair?" grumbled Tristan.

"I don't think I like Shadow Games much," commented Kevin. "Though it does make me wish I had listened to my dad better when he talked about Egypt and magic and everything."

"How does it feel to suffer like your monsters do?" gloated Yami Marik.

"The same thing's gonna happen to you!" shouted Joe, struggling to his feet.

Yami Marik only continued his sadistic smirk. _"The fool doesn't realize that my energy reserves are deeper than his."_

Ishizu's eyes dropped sadly. Her brother's good soul was quiet. It was weakening as his dark side grew stronger. Her fifth sense kicking in again, Shayla put a hand on her shoulder. Ishizu said nothing, though the support was greatly appreciated.

"My turn's not done yet!" said Yami Marik. "Gilgarth, attack his life points directly!""

"Not so fast! Reveal face down card!" shouted Joe, flipping the card over. Four fuzzy, multicolored cartoon goats appeared in front of him. "Scapegoat creates for sheep tokens. And since they're only monster tokens, I don't get hurt when they're destroyed!" As he spoke, Gilgarth shredded one of the Scapegoats. No cable appeared to connect it to Joe.

"Awesome!" cheered Tristan.

"He found a way to outsmart Marik at his own game!" added Téa.

"Either that or a lucky guess," said Drake.

"Knowing Joe, the latter," agreed Lara.

"Come on guys, Joe's going good so far. I think he can win this," said Kevin. "The he can save Mai." A smile grew on his face. "I can't wait to meet her!"

"Oh brother…" groaned Lara.

"Are you jealous?" asked Kevin, smiling sweetly.

"Absolutely not," replied Lara, grabbing onto Drake's arm. "I've got all I need right here." Drake tried to choke down the blushing.

Joe drew a card. "Now, I summon Panther Warrior to the field!" he announced. A violet panther walking on its hind legs appeared in the middle of his Scapegoats. It had 2000 attack points. A violet cable connected it to Joe's heart. "I need to offer a tribute for Panther Warrior to attack, so I'll use one of my Scapegoats." A second Scapegoat vanished from his side of the field. "Now, Panther Warrior, attack his Gilgarth!"

His monster leapt into the air, sword raised. It sliced Yami Marik's monster top to bottom and it burst into confetti. Yami Marik clutched his chest as his monster vanished, though he didn't fall like Joe did. His life points dropped to 3800.

"How does it feel to have a taste of your own medicine?" taunted Joe.

"Grr…"

"It's no less than he deserves," remarked Duke.

"He deserves a lot worse, I think," said Tristan.

"It's my turn," said Yami Marik, malevolently. "I activate the magic card Tribute Burial."

"Tribute Burial?" echoed Joe. Then his eyes went wide as he remembered that magic card's effect. "Not that card!"

"This card allows me to select a monster from both of our graveyards," explained Yami Marik, arrogantly. "I can then remove them from play in order to summon a monster!" Alligator Sword and Gilgarth appeared faintly on the field for a moment, then vanished completely. In their place stood a zombie-like monster with dark violet flesh. It was vaguely human shape and size. Its attack was 2000 and it was connected to Yami Marik. "Meet Helpoemer!"

Joe eyed it warily. But since its attack was equal to Panther Warrior's, Yami Marik seemed unwilling to send it into battle and have them both destroyed.

"I set one card and end my turn," he said, a face down card hologram appearing in front of him.

"My turn then!" said Joe, drawing a card. _"Jinzo! Perfect! Now all I need to do is get it on the field!"_

"Marik seems pretty calm, I think he's up to something," commented Duke.

"When isn't he?" asked Tristan.

"_Come on,"_ thought Kaiba, impatiently. _"Get the Winged Dragon of Ra on the field! I need to know what it can do if I am to win it from Marik. A computer analysis of the card is one thing, seeing it in action is another. Wheeler is my guinea pig for Ra."_ He glanced over at Shayla. _"I'll tell her, right after I win my title as King of Games."_

"I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" declared Joe. A simple shape creature with green plating appeared on his end of the field, connected to Joe by a golden cord. Its stats were 1500 and 1300.

"Reveal trap card, Hidden Soldier!" said Yami Marik. "This allows me to summon a monster to the field, and I choose Plasma Eel!" His serpentine monster appeared, and instantly latched onto Joe's Panther Warrior. Joe and his monster both gasped in pain. "What do you think of Plasma Eel's special ability? It drains 500 attack points from your monster, and you feel it too!" This dropped Panther Warrior down to 1500 attack points. Joe screamed in pain, clutching at his own heart.

"_Brother…where is your heart?"_ wondered Ishizu. _"I know you do not take joy in seeing others suffer. But where is that light? I can hardly feel his heart any more…"_

"My turns not over yet," growled Joe. "I'll activate my monster's special ability! Invincible Mode!" His Rocket Warrior folded in on itself, turning into a green rocket. It blasted into Yami Marik's Helpoemer. Yami Marik clutched his chest in pain as his monster lost 500 attack points.

"Awesome! Now Joe's Panther Warrior is stronger, and he can destroy it!" cheered Kevin.

"Got that right, bro," smirked Joe, thumbing his nose. "I'll offer another Scapegoat. Panther Warrior, attack Helpoemer!"

One of the two remaining fuzzy goats vanished. The Panther Warrior again leapt forward, slashing Helpoemer to pieces. Yami Marik again grimaced in pain, though he tried not to show it. His life points dropped to 3300.

"Next time you'd better think twice before forcing us to play a shadow game," Joe said, spitefully.

Yami Marik started laughing.

"What's up, Chuckles?" retorted Joe.

"You've fallen right into my trap," countered Yami Marik.

"What the heck do you mean?" asked Joe.

"Helpoemer is now sent to your graveyard," said Yami Marik.

"…so?"

The answer revealed itself. A ghostly hand reached out from Joe's graveyard. It grabbed Jinzo out of his hand and pulled it into his graveyard.

"No! What happened?!" gasped Joe.

"What was that?" asked Téa.

"Helpoemer's special ability," answered Drake.

"At the end of every turn, Helpoemer will take one random card out of your hand to the graveyard," explained Yami Marik, arms crossed.

"No way!" exclaimed Joe.

"He can't win the duel if all his cards are in the graveyard!" said Téa.

"Some of his best cards might be destroyed before he can even play them!" agreed Duke.

"There's always a way," said Yami. Then, louder, "Consider all your options, Joe!"

"Right bud," agreed Joe.

"It won't be easy. Helpoemer can't be special summoned from the graveyard," commented Shayla.

Kaiba glanced over at her. "You really do know your cards, don't you?"

"Luther always wanted that card," she answered.

"_She's still thinking about her old boyfriend?!"_ Kaiba thought with a groan.

"I set these two cards and end my turn," said Yami Marik, clearing out his hand.

"That's all?" smirked Joe, beginning his turn. _"He could have attacked one of my Scapegoats with his Drillago, but he didn't. I'd better not risk Jinzo yet. I need to get Plasma Eel off of my Panther Warrior too, but as long as that leech is connected, I can't tribute Panther Warrior!"_

"I summon Baby Dragon in defense mode!" announced Joe. His small orange dragon appeared, crouched down in defense mode. Its stats were 1200 and 700.

"Marik only has Drillago on the field!" exclaimed Tristan. "Joe can finish him this turn!"

"Don't forget about his face down cards," said Duke. "Joe still needs to be careful."

"I agree, it seems that Marik is trying to lure Joe into attacking," said Drake. "It was a good idea for Joe to play his Baby Dragon in defense mode."

"_What should I do?"_ wondered Joe. _"Marik has those face down cards, and at least one is bound to be a trap card. If I attack, he'll just activate them. But if I don't attack him, I'll never win this duel and save Mai!"_

"Why do you hesitate in attacking me?" gloated Yami Marik. "I thought you wanted to save your friend Mai from the Shadow Realm." He smirked. "It seemed before you were eager to share her fate. So why do you hesitate to attack me now? The shadows are waiting to devour your mind!"

"That settles it for sure! Marik wants Joe to attack!" exclaimed Duke.

"Then don't attack Joe!" called Téa.

"You need to focus on getting those face down cards out of the way," added Kevin.

"No, Joe needs to attack," said Yami.

"What do you mean?" asked Téa.

"Joe needs to attack Marik and force him to reveal his cards, so Joe can devise a strategy to defeat them," explained Yami Yu-Gi.

"This is Joe we're talking about," commented Drake. "He's strategy is luck."

"I made a promise to a friend, and I'm going to keep it!" shouted Joe. "Rocket Warrior, go into Invincible Mode! Your target is Drillago!" Rocket Warrior compressed itself into its namesake, blasting 500 attack points away from Drillago.

"Thank you! Now I activate Card of Last Will!" exclaimed Yami Marik, flipping one card over. "This card lets me draw five new cards!"

"Now he has a fresh hand!" exclaimed Lara. "This means trouble for Joe."

"Big deal," Joe tried to shrug it off. "You'll need every single one to stand a chance at beating me!"

"Don't start talking like that," called Kevin. "Or else you're going to start sounding like Kaiba!" They both shared a brief smile.

"_That fool doesn't know that I drew the Winged Dragon of Ra!"_ thought Yami Marik. _"Soon this foolish mortal will taste the wrath of an Egyptian god card and join my other victims in the Shadow Realm!"_

"Good-bye Scapegoat, hello Panther Warrior!" smirked Joe, tributing his last Scapegoat. Panther Warrior raised it sword and leapt into the air, slicing Drillago into scrap metal. Drillago was down to 1100 attack points. Panther Warrior had 1500, so Yami Marik's life points dropped to 2900.

Yami Marik clutched the place where the energy cable disintegrated. With his head low, he started laughing again.

"Now what's so funny?" asked Joe, groaning.

"Thanks to your attack, I can activate Coffin Seller!" gloated Yami Marik, flipping over another card. "Every time one of your monsters is sent to the graveyard, you'll lose 300 life points!"

"Marik's strung Joe along since the beginning!" exclaimed Drake.

"Joe can win this," said Kevin. "He did a good job against the Big 5, and I know he can win this too."

"The Big 5 didn't have the Millennial Rod," muttered Lara.

"This is bad," said Duke. "As long as Helpoemer is in Joe's graveyard, he's going to lose cards."

"And if one of them is a monster card, Joe will lose life points whether he attacks or not!" finished Yami.

Shayla could feel another lump forming in her stomach. _"Please Jesus…don't let anyone get hurt."_

"I end my turn," grumbled Joe.

"Not before Helpoemer takes another card from your hand!" taunted Yami Marik.

The same ghostly hand reached from Joe's graveyard and snagged his Insect Queen.

"No! Not Insect Queen!" lamented Joe. He then shuddered as if a blast of cold wind had hit him. Coffin Seller had activated, causing him to lose 300 life points, dropping him down to 3700.

"That's not all! Plasma Eel, drain his Panther Warrior more!" ordered Yami Marik. Plasma Eel clamped down tighter on Panther Warrior. Joe screamed in pain, clutching at his neck, where Plasma Eel was connected to his monster.

_/This shadow game is starting to take its toll on Joe,/ _thought Yami.

_/There has to be something we can do to help!/ _insisted Yu-Gi.

_/This is Joe's fight. He insists on keeping his promise to Mai, and we have to respect that. We also promised him we would quit protecting him. There is nothing we can do…/_

_/I can't sit by and watch my friends get hurt!/_

_/I know aibou, I know…But all we can do is support Joe./_

"My turn," gloated Yami Marik, staring haughtily down at Joe, who was still cringing on the other side of the field. "I set one card face down, then I activate Premature Burial. For the cost of 800 life points, I can revive one monster from the graveyard!" His life points dropped to 2100.

"Great…" groaned Joe, trying to compose himself.

"I chose to revive Drillago, which I'll tribute to summon my Legendary Fiend!" announced Yami Marik. His newest monster appeared where Drillago briefly appeared. The Legendary Fiend was a sickly blue monster with two barely humanoid heads. It had four arms, though two of those arms ended in mini heads instead of hands. Its stats were 1500 and 1800. "Your move."

"Wait! That monster only has 1500 attack points!" exclaimed Joe.

"You should know by now that things aren't always what they appear to be, little Joey," taunted Yami Marik.

"Huh?"

"Special abilities, Joe," said Shayla.

"Oh…yeah, right," muttered Joe, who had almost forgotten there was a crowd on that side of the field, since that side was so much quieter than the other.

"She's right," cautioned Drake. "Legendary Fiend gains 700 attack points each turn!"

"That means I just have to wipe it out right now!" retorted Joe. "And I'm going to use pineapple head's head as the mop!" He drew a card and frowned. "I summon Little Wing Guard in defense mode." This tiny monster was wearing green, violet, and silver armor. The armor almost resembled thick winter clothing rather than armor. Its face was totally hidden behind that armor. Its stats were 1400 and 1800.

"Reveal face down card, Nightmare Wheel!" exclaimed Yami Marik.

"Not another trap card!" groaned Joe. _"I really need Jinzo, but it's at the bottom of my graveyard!"_

"Nightmare Wheel traps your Rocket Warrior, making it incapable of attack or defending! Your monster is useless!" exclaimed Yami Marik.

"Grr…I move my Panther Warrior to defense mode and end my turn," said Joe.

"Plasma Eel and Helpoemer, do your jobs!" ordered Yami Marik. Joe braced himself as his Panther Warrior was further weakened, drained down to 500 attack points. Another card vanished into his graveyard via Helpoemer. Fortunately, this one wasn't a monster, so Joe did not lose life points because of Coffin Seller.

"Brother…" Ishizu said, softly. "Where are you?"

"Ishizu…I…" Shayla stammered, wanting to say something helpful, but not finding the words.

The shadow duel was unnerving them both. Anytime Joe or one of the monsters cried out in pain, tremors shot through Shayla's fingertips to her elbows. She was trying to keep her promise to herself, though she didn't think she was keeping it very well. Ishizu was focused on Yami Marik, constantly scanning his face for any signs of her true brother. It was all in vain thought. Shayla knew she never could fully understand the situation, never knowing a family herself. But that thought reminded her of her latest 'vision.' She tried to pull the memory of safety and security up, shielding herself with it. Shayla also made a mental note to ask Ishizu about those visions at a more opportune time.

"We must not give up hope," said Ishizu, voicing both of their struggles. Shayla nodded.

Kaiba glanced over at Shayla again, noticing how tense she looked. Once more he was surprised by the sudden need he felt to hold her, to comfort her.

"_Why not now?"_ a small voice asked him in the back of his head. _"You care about her, you can't deny it. Tell her now. Why wait?"_ Kaiba shoved that away like he did every other sentiment.

Yami Marik drew a card. "To start my turn, Nightmare Wheel will cost you 500 life points!"

"I know!" gasped Joe, in pain, as his life points dropped down to 3200.

"Hang in there man!" called Tristan.

"You can't give in to this twisted game!" added Duke.

"Legendary Fiend gains 700 attack points," continued Yami Marik. Now his monster had 2200 attack points. "Destroy his Little Wing Guard!"

Joe screamed as the attack connected, turning his monster into data bits. His life points dropped to 2900, because of Coffin Seller. Though he didn't lose any more, since his monster was in defense mode.

"Joe!" called his friends.

Joe waved it off and struggled to his feet again.

"_I need to do something to turn this duel around,"_ thought Joe. _"Come on heart of the cards, show me a little love."_ He drew his next card. "Perfect!"

"It doesn't matter what card that is, your fate in inevitable," shot Yami Marik.

"Nah-uh," replied Joe. "This card is going to turn this entire duel around! It's a magic card known as Question. You have to guess which monster is at the bottom of my graveyard. If you're right, that monster is removed from play for good. But if you're wrong it gets instantly summoned to the field!"

Yami Marik's eyes went slightly vacant, half in surprise, half in trying to recall the moves of the duel. _"The first monster I destroyed was Alligator Sword, but that has already been removed from play. Grr… I've destroyed so many of his monsters I can't remember which was first any more!"_

"Give up?" smirked Joe. "I'll give you a hint, it's a monster that was randomly destroyed by your Helpoemer. So you can't know which monster it is!"

"Grrr…."

"Awesome move Joe!" cheered Téa.

"Way to blow up his own plan in his face!" added Kevin.

"Lucky dog," muttered Drake.

"Hey!"

"Nothing personal, it's just an expression."

Joe turned back to his opponent. "Any guesses? You've got five seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two One. I'm sorry, stunned silence is not the answer!" Joe selected the monster on the bottom of his graveyard and set it on his duel disk.

"It doesn't matter which monster you summon," growled Yami Marik. Then his eyes went wide as the monster appeared. "Not Jinzo!"

"You know what that means!" gloated Joe. "Jinzo destroys all your trap cards on the field. Jinzo, do your thing!" Jinzo's eyes shot a red beam passed Yami Marik's monster slots, to the magic/trap card zone, obliterating all but one of his cards there. This freed Rocket Warrior from Nightmare Wheel, and destroyed Yami Marik's Helpoemer/Coffin Seller combo.

"Marik is wide open! If Joe can get an attack in, he'll win this!" cheered Lara.

"I have this bad feeling it won't be that easy," said Drake, his eyes narrowing at Yami Marik's lingering card.

"Wow! I don't believe Joe did that!" exclaimed Mokuba. "He's going to win this!"

"I'll believe that when I see it happen," stated Seto.

"I move Panther Warrior and Baby Dragon to attack mode," said Joe. "Now, Jinzo, attack his Legendary Fiend!" Jinzo did so, blasting Yami Marik's monster to atoms. Yami Marik cringed when that happened, but he simply didn't seem to be effected by the loss of a monster the way Joe did. Yami Marik's life points dropped to 1900.

"Now, direct attack!" ordered Joe. His Baby Dragon and Rocket Warrior sprung forward, ready to end the duel.

"Yes!" cheered Kevin.

"I activate Dark Wall of Wind!" announced Yami Marik, flipping over his remaining magic card. A whirling vortex formed around him. Baby Dragon and Rocket Warrior bounced harmlessly off of it.

"No way! He blocked the attack!" exclaimed Tristan.

"I don't think I can take much more…" whined Téa.

"If you can't, can you imagine how Joe is feeling right now?" asked Duke.

"Now that your turn is over, the fun can begin again," smirked Yami Marik. "First Plasma Eel will drain the rest of your Panther Warrior's attack points." Joe once again cried out in pain, similar to his monster. "And Helpoemer will take another card of yours to the graveyard."

"Joe can't keep dueling under these conditions!" exclaimed Téa.

"He needs to regain control of this duel," stated Yami.

"Yeah, but how?" asked Duke. His question went unanswered.

"_I'm surprised Wheeler has lasted this long,"_ thought Kaiba. _"But Marik has yet to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra to the field. He had better do it soon! I want to see that Egyptian god card in action before this duel ends!"_

"Now, for my next turn," Yami Marik drew a card and smiled broadly. "I'm going to summon Lava Golem to the field." He turned the card in his hand so it faced Joe.

"Yeah right!" retorted Joe. "That's an eight star monster, and in case you're forgetting the basic rules, you have to sacrifice two monsters first!"

"I haven't forgotten, in fact, I intend on sacrificing two monsters."

"Then you've forgotten you don't have any monsters on your side of the field!"

"That doesn't matter, because I am sacrificing your monsters!" gloated Yami Marik.

In a flaming flash of light, a massive mountain of lava appeared behind Joe, taking the form of a blob of a monster. It picked up Jinzo and Little Wing Guard, its sacrifices, and incinerated them. A cage hung from Lava Golem's neck, connected by a thick chain to a melt-proof collar. In that cage was Joe. The monster itself had 3000 attack points.

"What gives!? Let me out!" demanded Joe, struggling against the bars.

"This is not good!" exclaimed Drake.

"Joe! Bro!" called Kevin.

"How the heck could Marik do this in the first place?!" demanded Tristan.

"Consider Lava Golem a gift from me," smirked Yami Marik. "With the small price that each turn, Lava Golem melts a bit more, causing you to lose 700 life points."

"What?!" exclaimed Joe, his forehead glistening with sweat.

"Lava Golem is on your side of the field."

"You mean this monster is mine?" gaped Joe.

"Is he serious, Yu-Gi?" asked Tristan.

"Yes," replied Yami.

"Lava Golem wasn't supposed to become real like this when dad made the game," said Drake.

"You sure? Your dad was a little nuts to begin with," said Tristan.

Drake shook his head. "I spent a lot of time reading his diary after you guys left. It was only the influence of the Millennial Eye that did that to him."

"Millennial Eye?" asked Kevin. "And what did happen to Mr. Pegasus? Why haven't we heard anything about him since the Duelist Kingdom tournament."

"He slipped into a coma after the Millennial Eye was stolen," explained Drake, stolidly. "I was hoping that the Eye would surface again in this tournament. I'm surprised it hasn't, with all the other freak magic running around."

"What do you want with the Millennial Eye?" asked Tristan.

"I think if dad gets it back, he'll wake up," said Drake.

"And go all nuts again," shot Tristan.

Drake shook his head. "I think he's learned his lesson. But I couldn't just sit by while he's in that condition."

"If you say so…" said Tristan, not so convinced Pegasus was trust-worthy.

"Guys, focus," scolded Téa. "Joe needs us right now!"

"_I need to get my Egyptian god card on the field,"_ thought Yami Marik. _"But in order to do that, I need to tribute three monsters. And this dork has stopped me from having three monsters on the field…I'll have to be more creative with Ra. In the mean time, I'm going to show this foolish mortal a new meaning of the word pain."_

"I play one card face down. I can play trap cards now that Jinzo is in the graveyard," continued Yami Marik, not paying any attention to their conversation. "It's your turn. Are you going to attack me with your new monster?" Yami Marik smirked very evilly.

"_He is definitely planning something!"_ thought Yami. _"Or else he never would have given Joe such a powerful monster, despite the fact he loses life points each turn. Joe needs to be very careful now!"_

"_All Marik needs to do is attach another Plasma Eel to Lava Golem and make it impossible for Joe to get rid of it,"_ thought Shayla. _"I bet that's what he's going to try to do with that face down card."_

Joe drew his card and studied his hand for a long moment, weighing the options of attacking with Lava Golem.

"Have you finally realized there's nothing you can do?" taunted Yami Marik. "Your fate will be the same as your friend Mai. At least you can keep her company as the shadows feast on both of your minds!"

"Mai…" said Joe.

Another tremor raced up Shayla's arms.

"_She does not wish to be here,"_ Ishizu realized. _"It hurts her to know her friend is in pain, just like it does me to know my brother is trapped within the darkness. And without my Millennial Necklace, I do not know what the future holds. I do not know if my brother will be saved and all the harm his dark side has caused will be erased. I can only hope and support my friends here."_ She glanced at Shayla again. _"The child is facing her fears just to be here with me. I know she would not come otherwise. Why does she not know her own strengths?"_

"_What choice do I have here? Let Lava Golem melt away my life points or attack Marik and let him activate his face down card?"_ thought Joe, wiping away sweat. _"I promised Mai. I have to attack!"_

"Lava Golem, attack his life points directly!" ordered Joe.

Lava Golem raised a massive molten fist, ready to slam it down on Yami Marik.

"I activate Relieve Monster!" announced Yami Marik.

"Relieve Monster?" echoed Joe, expecting anything but this.

"This lets me return one of my monsters on the field to my hand," explained Yami Marik. "Then it allows me to summon any four star or less monster from my hand to the field!"

"You don't have any monsters on the field!" shot Joe.

"Oh no!" gasped Yami. "Plasma Eel is Marik's monster!"

"Ugh…I don't like where this is going," groaned Duke.

"Come on Joe!" called Kevin. "Don't forget who you're dueling for!"

Plasma Eel vanished off of Joe's Panther Warrior.

"Now I can summon a four star or less monster," said Yami Marik. "And I'll select my Plasma Eel, which I'll set in defense mode." His eel reappeared directly in front of him, its bulbous serpentine body coiled around itself. Lava Golem's attack connected with it. "Did I forget to mention Plasma Eel can't be destroyed in battle?"

Joe visibly slumped at that comment. The steam faded from the field, and sure enough, Plasma Eel had not even been singed.

"Don't forget, your turn ended," said Yami Marik. "That means Lava Golem melts, taking 700 of your life points with it!"

"Ouch! Hot!" exclaimed Joe as a drop of lava barely missed his body. His life points stopped at 2200.

"We need to do something about this!" exclaimed Téa. Then her eyes went wide as she got an idea. "I'll be right back!" With that she turned and ran for the elevator.

"What got into her?" asked Lara.

"Absolutely no clue," answered Drake.

"For my next turn, I activate Machine Duplication," announced Yami Marik. "This magic card allows me to multiply a weak monster, like my Plasma Eel! Now I have three Plasma Eels!" As he spoke, his monster split into three. "Now, my eels, connect yourselves to his monsters and drain his energy!"

"I am really starting to hate being right about these things…" said Shayla, trying to control the tremors in her arms without much luck.

"_She needs you now,"_ that same voice whispered in the back of Kaiba's mind. _"You should go over to her. What have you got to lose?"_

"_Grr…I'm here to see Ra in action,"_ Kaiba countered himself. _"That's what's important now. I'll worry about Shayla after I regain my title. But to do that I need to win Slifer and Ra. In order to beat Ra, I need to see its special abilities in action. So Marik had better hurry up and summon it."_

Joe drew a card, giving him a total of two in his hand. _"This is going to take a lot of luck to pull off, but the pay out will be well worth it."_

"I activate Graceful Dice!" declared Joe. "This handy magic card allows me to increase the strength of any monster on the field. And I'm using it on your Plasma Eel!"

"What?" asked Yami Marik.

"I think the heat is starting to get to him," commented Tristan.

"No! I see his plan!" exclaimed Drake. "The odds are in his favor too, six to one."

"What do you mean?" asked Kevin.

"Just watch."

"Your Machine Duplication card only works on monsters with 500 or less attack points," said Joe. "So once I increase the attack of the original Plasma Eel, the copies go bye-bye!" He set his magic card in his duel disk and the chibi cherub holding the die appeared. "Come on…not a one…"

The cherub dropped the die. It rolled halfway across the field before it stopped on a six.

"Oh yeah!" cheered Joe, Tristan, and Kevin.

"By my math, six is more than one," said Joe. "That multiplies your Plasma Eel's attack points by six!"

"Grr…" growled Yami Marik. The Plasma Eels around Joe's monsters broke apart, leaving only the original on Yami Marik's side of the field in defense mode.

"Now I can tribute my monsters!" said Joe. "Panther Warrior, Rocket Warrior, and Lava Golem!" His three monsters vanished from his side of the field as he placed a new monster on his duel disk. "Time to meet Gilford the Lightning!" Gilford's appearance was mark by a virtual lightning storm. The winds ripped through everyone, blowing clothing, hair, capes, and jackets wildly around the place. Gilford appeared in a flash. He wore red and golden armor that was similar to Ax Raider, in the fact it wasn't fully covering. But what was there looked more like Flame Swordsman's style of armor. An identical colored helmet adorned his head, giving him a fierce look. A large sword was strapped across his back. He had 2800 attack points.

"How did Wheeler get a card that rare?" asked Kaiba, out loud.

"Now Gilford, activate your special ability, Lightning Sword!" ordered Joe.

Yami Marik again resumed his evil laughing.

"I missed the joke," glowered Joe.

"Your own magic card worked against you!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "Graceful Dice increased Plasma Eel's attack to 3000, 200 more than your monster!"

"Either turn up your hearing aid or get a hair cut," shot Joe. "Take that back, do both! Gilford's special ability destroys all monsters on your side of the field!" Gilford the Lightning raised his massive broad sword high. A bolt of lightning shot down it, which he in return launched at Plasma Eel. Plasma Eel lit up like a bulb on a Christmas tree and exploded.

"That's impossible! Plasma Eel can't be destroyed by an attack!" protested Yami Marik.

"Special abilities," repeated Shayla.

"That's right," replied Joe, grinning broadly. "Now to finish you for good! Gilford, attack his life points directly!"

Gilford again raised his sword, leaping forward, ready to deliver the final blow.

"I activate Nightmare Mirror!" declared Yami Marik. A large mirror, about eight feet high, appeared in front of him. It was framed with ornate metal claws. Joe's reflection could be seen in it. "It's your life points that are going to be harmed!" Gilford's sword shattered the mirror, but did not harm Yami Marik at all. "You lose 1000 life points for your foolish move!"

"Can he just lose?" groaned Kevin.

"I can see why Téa left, this duel is way intense," said Lara.

Joe's eyes went wide, though he managed to repress his scream. His life points dropped to 1200.

"And I pay the small price for activating Nightmare Mirror of discarding one card to the graveyard," said Yami Marik. He slipped his last card, the Winged Dragon of Ra, into the graveyard. _"Perfect! If things go as planned, this fool won't last my next turn!"_

"You'll never get a monster strong enough to beat my Gilford in one turn," grumbled Joe, still wincing. "So make your move."

"No monster strong enough?" taunted Yami Marik, drawing his next card. "Not even my Egyptian god card?"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed the cheerleaders.

"_Finally!"_ thought Kaiba.

Yami Marik turned his card over, "I activate Monster Reborn, bringing the Winged Dragon of Ra back from my graveyard!"

In a brilliant flash of gold, a large form shot out of the ground beneath his feet. The form unfolded and the light slowly faded, revealing Ra. It was a massive dragon, easily the biggest monster on the field that entire duel. It looked a bit like a cross between a dragon and a bird, with feathers in its wings and a bird-like beak. The whole monster was gold, almost like it had been forged from that metal. It eyes burned red like two coals. But it registered at 0 attack and defense points.

"Crap…" Joe muttered under his breath.

"Woah…" said Drake, his eyes completely locked on Ra, jaw dropping.

"Drake?" asked Lara, but he did not reply. "Drake!"

"That…dragon…" was all he could manage to say.

"DRAKE!"

"Huh?"

"Snap out of it! You'd think you'd never seen a dragon before in your life!"

Drake's eyes wandered back to Ra. "I can't believe dad made a dragon that awesome and never told me!"

Lara sweat-dropped.

"Why would Marik bring back Ra with no attack points?" wondered Yami, out-loud. "Ra takes on the attack points of the monsters used to summon it, but since Marik did not sacrifice any monsters, Ra has no attack points! What can he be planning? Is he just relying on Ra's special abilities?"

"Since I revived Ra from the graveyard, I can activate its special ability, Instant Attack!" gloated Yami Marik. "And that's not all, Ra will now take on its true form!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra began to spew fire on itself, igniting itself. Flames highlighted some of its features, while disguising others. When it had finished, Ra was a glowing bird of flame.

"Ra has take the form of the Egyptian creature, Phoenix!" announced Yami Marik. "And it only cost me 1000 life points!" His life points were now at 900. "Pharaoh! Kaiba! Look! This is the creature that will bring one of you down as well!"

"It's…beautiful," said Drake, who was almost drooling.

"It's also a lot of trouble!" said Lara, backing away.

"Go Ra!" said Drake.

"Who's side are you on?!" demanded Tristan.

"Er…right!" said Drake, bashfully. His red eyes darted across the field to Kaiba. "Now he is totally going to pay for not letting me have a chance at that dragon!" The group sweat-dropped.

"Hang in there bro!" called Kevin. It did little. Joe seemed completely panicky.

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"Serenity!" called Téa, entering the hospital wing.

"Téa?" asked Serenity, turning her somber gaze from Mai's unmoving form. "Shouldn't you be with the others?"

"Yeah, but so should you," said Téa. "Your brother needs you right now."

"Joe?! But what happened? Is the duel going badly?" asked Serenity, instantly worried.

"Joe is dueling his heart out, but he needs your support," answered Téa. "You mean more to him than anything, and I know you'll give him the encouragement he needs to win this duel."

"But what about Mai?" asked Serenity. "She hasn't moved or spoken or anything since she lost her duel. And I promised I'd stay with her."

"I'll stay here with Mai," answered Téa. "You need to hurry! Joe needs you!"

Serenity bit her lip, looking at Mai, then out the window at the duel tower, which was in plain view. She nodded and bolted out the door.

"Good luck, everyone," whispered Téa, taking Serenity's seat.

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"My Gilford is still stronger than your god card," said Joe, with pseudo-confidence.

"Your forgetting one thing!" said Yami Marik. "Look down! You're still connected to your monster by that energy cable! And when Ra disintegrates your monster, you won't have the strength left to stand! Now my dragon, attack the fool's monster and wipe out his energy!"

Ra craned its head back and fired a massive stream of flames at Joe. The entire duel tower shook from the force of the attack. Shayla, Ishizu, Duke, Tristan, and Lara were all thrown off of their feet. The others managed to stay up, but only just barely. Mokuba was clinging to his older brother. Gilford was blasted out of the duel the moment the flames got close. Ra's attack continued, completely engulfing Joe. He screamed loudly, clearly in intense pain.

"JOE!" called his friends, all shielding their eyes from the raw power.

"This has gone too far Seto," moaned Mokuba. "We have to stop it!"

Kaiba didn't reply. He was far to interested in the duel. But he felt his eyes drifting over to the right again. Shayla and Ishizu had not yet picked themselves up. Shayla had reverted to her habit of clinging to people when she got frightened. Right now Ishizu's left arm was in her death grip, though the Egyptian lady did not seem to mind greatly. Ishizu was still focused on her brother.

"_She needs you now,"_ that persistent voice said in the back of Kaiba's head. _"Go to her, hold her. You promised you'd always protect her, now go keep that promise."_

Kaiba jerked in surprise at his own thoughts. _"I never promised her anything! I can't let her distract me! I need to win this tournament, then I'll worry about talking to Shayla!"_

"So long, mortal!" laughed Yami Marik.

"Joe! No!" called his friends.

The smoke cleared from the field. Joe was still standing, though he was half doubled over. His eyes were glassy and he was still smoking.

"No! How could you withstand Ra's attack!?" gasped Yami Marik. Ra faded from the field. His turn was over, and god cards can only be revived for one turn.

"Joe! Bro! Say something!" called Kevin.

"Are you okay?!" called Yami.

"He doesn't look good at all…" said Lara.

"Marik has no monsters on the field," said Duke. "Joe! You can finish him now!" Yami Marik knew this too. His eyes were both twitching.

"He did it! He won!" cheered Mokuba.

"I don't believe it…" said Kaiba. "The dog knows how to stand…"

"Joe?" called Tristan, at how still his friend was being.

Joe slowly raised a hand, reaching to draw a card. He didn't look up.

The elevator opened and Serenity stepped onto the duel arena. "JOE?!"

Joe started tipping forward. It started slowly, but then gravity took over. He collapsed face first across the duel field.

"NO! JOE!" called his friends.

"No…" said Ishizu, once more feeling hope lost.

"I don't think I can handle this," said Shayla, still with her death grip.

"This is still an official duel!" reminded Kaiba.

"Mr. Wheeler has thirty seconds to get up or he forfeits," declared Rollin.

"Who cares?!" shouted Mokuba, hurrying to the edge of the duel platform. "Can't you see he's hurt! Get the medical team!"

Rollin looked between Mokuba and Kaiba, not sure how to make the call. Mokuba was waiting impatiently for the duel arena to lower, while Kaiba did not meet his eyes.

"Joseph Wheeler forfeits the duel, the winner is Marik Ishtar," announced Rollin. The only one who seemed to care was Marik himself.

"Joe! Say something!" said Mokuba, running to him, being the first on the platform.

"My brother!" sobbed Serenity, reaching him a moment later.

"Joe! Snap out of it!" demanded Tristan, picking him up by the collar and shaking him.

"Tristan, stop!" protested Lara. "You'll only hurt him more!"

"Joe…no…" said Kevin. His blue eyes flared, glaring at Yami Marik. "He's going to pay!!!"

"Chill!" exclaimed Duke, grabbing him by his blazer. "You're not going to help Joe by starting a fight right now!"

"GRRRR!!!"

Drake walked over with Lara, and picked up the card that has slid out of Joe's hand, the card he had just drawn. "Gearfried the Iron Knight," said Drake, mono-tone. "Joe had this duel won…"

"That duel wasn't fair," grumbled Lara, looking at Joe, amid the group of concerned friends.

Yami Marik merely smirk malevolently before flouncing away to the elevator.

"No, no," Serenity kept on sobbing.

"This isn't right…" agreed Drake.

_/Joe! No!/_ sobbed Yu-Gi inside his mind. _/No! Why?! It's us Marik wants! Why does he have to keep hurting our friends?!/_

_/Aibou…/_ said Yami, putting a soul arm around his light half.

AN1/ As of this point in my Shayla's Story Saga, I am starting a spin-off named Bonds to the Past, co-authored with Blue-Eyes White Knight. It's a fic where we combined our ideas about the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, including many original twists. Bonds will have the same roots as this saga of mine, but as of now, it is branching off on its own. Nothing in Bonds from this point on will be related to the Shayla's Story Saga, though the characters are the same. If you happen to like this saga, then I suggest that you also read Bonds. Bonds was a lot of fun coming up with, and we have lots of ideas for it, so I hope you do consider reading it.

AN2/ Congratulations all who stuck around this far! Shayla's Story 3 has doubled the length of Shayla's Story in this chapter!

AN3/ Monster spelling corrections are appreciated, but please be polite. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! 

25


	15. Visions of the Past

"My brother, my brother," Serenity repeatedly sobbed.

"It's not fair!" said Tristan for the uncounted time in the past half an hour since Joe was given his own bed in the medical wing.

Joe was in bad shape. The doctors had hooked him up to several machines, all monitoring his vital signs. He wasn't breathing regularly, and his skin was still red from Ra's attack. But the worst part was the fact that he was not responding to anything. Nothing anyone said or did could wake him. In short, he was in virtually the same condition as Mai. The only difference was his brain patterns on the monitor. His were very active, the only thing that was.

"Man…what are we going to do?" asked Kevin, semi-desperately.

"We have to stop Marik, it's the only way," said Yami Yu-Gi.

"I never thought so many bad things could happen," said Lara, looking around the hospital wing.

"Mm-hmm," nodded Drake, hardly listening.

"Drake? You with us?" asked Duke.

"Yeah, sure…" answered Drake.

Lara sweat-dropped. "Are you _still_ thinking about the Winged Dragon of Ra?"

"No, no, of course not!" said Drake, bashfully rubbing the back of his head, being totally caught. This caused everyone else to sweat-drop as well.

"There has to be a way we can snap him out of it," said Tristan, mostly to himself, looking at Joe.

"I can't stand this," sobbed Serenity. "It's too much! First Mai, then Joe…" She broke down again and couldn't say any more.

"Serenity, it's okay, be strong for your brother," coaxed Duke, putting an arm around her.

"Leave her alone, dice-boy," grumbled Tristan, putting his arm around Serenity's other shoulder. "I've known Joe for a long time, and I know he'll come around eventually. So calm down, okay?"

Serenity said nothing to both of them. It was awkwardly silent for a moment, during which time Yami slipped into the hallway, unnoticed by the rest of the group except Téa. He whispered to her that he wanted them to stay with Joe, then left. His right hand was in his pocket, fingering the Millennial Necklace that Ishizu had given him.

"Attention duelists, Yu-Gi Motou and Seto Kaiba are to report to the Duel Tower for their duel," announced the PA.

"I guess that's our cue…where's Yu-Gi?" asked Duke.

"He already left," said Téa. "He said he'd rather have us stay here and keep an eye on Joe."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Tristan. Téa nodded.

"Well, there's no need for all of us to stay," said Drake. "Lara and I will go and keep an eye on the duel." He was already part of the way to the door.

"You just want to see Slifer the Sky Dragon!" groaned Lara. Drake smiled, then disappeared into the corridor. "I think I'm going to need to tie him down…."

"Like a leash?" asked Kevin.

"Yeah…"

"But I thought Joe was the dueling dog," said Kevin, which hardly got any positive response. "Sorry, sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

"Better catch up with your boyfriend before he does something stupid regarding those dragons," Téa said to Lara.

"Right, right," said Lara. But before she left, she scribbled a number on a pad of paper on the bedside table. "That's my cell phone number, call me if anything changes down here."

"We will," agreed Duke.

"I hope Yu-Gi creams Kaiba and teaches that stuck-up jerk a lesson he'll never forget," muttered Kevin, watching Yami walk to the Duel Tower.

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"_I was afraid something bad like this would happen…"_ thought Shayla, leaning against the far wall of the open-air passage she was so fond of. _"I can't stand it, when people get hurt. I want it all to end…I don't think I can take much more of this. There's too much magic in the air, I can feel it, and it's making me nauseous."_ She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground with both of her legs curled up under herself.

She took her backpack off of her back and set it in her lap, so that she could lean against the wall more easily. Though she accidentally set it upside-down, and one of the zippers was sliding open.

"_Things have changed so much recently. What can I do? I'm not strong enough for this…"_

Her Bible slid out of her bag and further into her lap. Absent-mindedly, she opened it and began to skim the pages with her fingertips. This was the book she always turned to when she was highly stressed, confused, or bored. And once more, she was surprised by the answer she found inside.

"1 Corinthians 10:13...God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it," she read. She paused, nearly dropping the book in the process. "Does this mean…that I'm here, because I can handle it?" (NIV)

That thought brought up the memory of another verse she had read, so she quickly flipped to it. "James 1: 2-4… Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance, must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Again, Shayla paused in stunned thought.

"So, that's why this is happening…I can handle it, and its supposed to make me stronger," she said to herself, very hesitantly. "That has to be it. God doesn't make mistakes, people do, God doesn't. Gosh…He has more faith in me than I do…He thinks…knows I can handle this…I guess that means…I should too." Though she did not get up at all. Instead, she kept turning that thought over and over in her mind. But the written Word was True. She could not deny it, though it was a struggle to cope with it.

After a few minutes, another thought occurred to her. _"I made a promise to Mai never to leave her alone. I need to keep it."_ Her right hand slipped into her pack and she gripped her scales. _"It's also time to keep my promise to myself and face my fears."_ That was when she stood up and started to the hospital wing.

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"I don't see any of the god cards yet," commented Duke, watching the Duel Tower out the window.

"Well, at least neither of them is going to summon the Shadow Realm," said Téa.

"You know this duel is going to be a clash between the god cards," said Tristan.

"Sound dangerous," commented Kevin.

"Yeah…" replied Téa, biting her lip. "I hope Yu-Gi is okay. He has to win this! He just has to!"

"I agree, I can't wait to see Kaiba's face when he gets his butt kicked," agreed Kevin.

Shayla slipped in while they were all busy looking out the window and took Serenity's usual seat besides Mai. Joe's bed was closest to the window, so everyone was clustered there. Serenity was sitting, trying to compose herself and not start sobbing again. Téa was beside her, and the guys were by the window. Shayla pulled out her scales and set them on the edge of Mai's bed.

Before she started, she took a moment to listen to the conversation around her. _"I never should have gone off on Joe like I did before his duel…Great, now I have guilt. I need to apologize to him for that. I shouldn't be venting on people like I have been. … I even vented on Kaiba, right when we got back from the virtual world. I owe him an apology too."_

Shayla started to concentrate on her Millennial Scales.

"Shayla?" asked someone, presumably, noticing her, but she was already absorbed into the magic current.

"I see Slifer!" exclaimed Tristan. "Yes! Yu-Gi got his god card on the field first!"

"What's that blue one?" asked Kevin a few moments later.

"Obelisk the Tormentor!" gasped Duke.

"Here we go…" said Tristan.

"_Mai…please…"_ was all Shayla could think, blocking out their conversation.

Shayla placed her hands around her Millennial Item's base, and began to tap into the flow of magic that hung, saturating the very air around them, which most people didn't notice. She could feel how it flowed to some people more—Yu-Gi and Marik, namely. But she could also sense a single flow deep within her own scales. She focused on that, trying to bring it out and disrupt the flow of the Millennial Rod around Mai.

xDreamx

Shayla once again felt herself watching a life that was not her own through eyes that were not hers. Not that there was much to see. Her head was tilted down, and she was focusing intently on her hands, which were folded in her lap. A tense conversation was going on over her head. It took her a moment, but after that she was able to recognize all of the speakers' voices. The first she picked out was Seto Kaiba's, then Ishizu's. There was a man's voice that took her a moment, but somehow she knew it was her father's. At least, her father from the visions she had been having. There was also a constant thumping noise coming from above them. Shayla was once again surprised when she somehow knew what it was. Her brothers seemed to be in a fight in the upper level.

"We must insist!" Seto's voice said. "The pharaoh has ordered that the girl come to the palace with us."

"I'm not convinced," said a new voice, one Shayla placed as her oldest brother's, Reuben.

"We cannot help you," stated her father.

"It is her destiny, you must understand," protested Ishizu.

Shayla tensed up in surprise when it finally occurred to her that the conversation was about her! That made her more anxious to see what was going on, but her head would not move, it stayed focused on her hands in her lap.

"Please leave us," said her father.

There was the sound of clothing shuffling, causing Shayla to realize that someone was standing directly behind her. Judging from the silence on that person's part, Shayla assumed it was her mother.

There was the sound of a chair scrapping across the dirt floor followed quickly by the sound of a fist slamming the table. Shayla correctly assumed it was Kaiba, or whoever he was who was so similar to the CEO she knew.

His outburst was halted by a knock on the door. Shayla's eyes flickered towards the door for only a brief moment, not nearly enough to let her take in everything she wanted to. All she could see was a sandy colored door, which her oldest brother was walking to.

Reuben answered the door and a few brief pleasantries were exchanged before the newest guests entered. There were two of them, Egyptians, both guys judging from the voices. Shayla had no idea who they were. No strange knowledge surfaced about them, so they were complete strangers. She heard a faint gasp from Ishizu, but nothing else.

"How can I help you two?" asked her father. There was tension in his voice. To Shayla, it was clear he was merely being polite.

"I bring a message straight from the pharaoh concerning the matter which brought these two here," stated one of them. Shayla listened closer, though the girl whose eyes she was using didn't seem to notice what she did. Shayla could have sworn that that voice sounded familiar, now that she thought about it, but she could not place it.

She could hear the message being passed from the newcomer to her father. Her broke the seal on it, then fell into his chair, stunned as he read the scroll. Shayla felt herself dare to look up, taking in briefly her father's surprised look.

"Father?" asked Reuben, cautiously.

There was a long silence. Shayla could pick up on the tension in the air. She shifted restlessly in her chair at the same time the girl she was watching this through did. It didn't help Shayla feel more comfortable.

"Daughter…you must go with them…" said her father, at length, very slowly.

"W-what?" she asked, looking up finally. Her eyes meet his, pleading. Her mother wrapped her arms around her, and for a fleeting minute Shayla felt that same feeling of safety and security like the last time.

"Father, you cannot be serious," protested Reuben.

"We cannot overrule this order," he sighed.

"No…" Shayla felt herself say.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The scene changed so fast Shayla didn't even know it had happened. The first thing that gave it away was that she was suddenly screaming. It took her a moment to orient herself, but when she did, Shayla was blown away by what was going on.

She was in a complete panic. Large stones and sand was falling all around her. She was running as fast as she could, trying to stay ahead of the debris. She was also screaming. Shayla quickly realized, again somehow knowing, she was in the palace, but it was collapsing around her. The elegant walls, ceiling, and statues were falling in on themselves, though she had no idea why. Only one thought flashed through her mind; _have to get out_.

Another scream made her realize she was not alone. There was someone else running with her, though from her angle, she could not see who. Shayla was under the impression the person was a friend.

She stopped so suddenly Shayla was surprised she didn't give herself whiplash. The hallway in front of them had just caved in, trapping them on the one side. Behind them the caving in ceiling was catching up.

Shayla felt herself throw her arms around her friend and brace for the worse. In doing so, she gave Shayla a look at her companion. The other person was a girl about her age. She had long hair devoid of any color and blue eyes that reminded her of Seto Kaiba's. She wore a plain white gown, very similar to the one she was wearing.

The collapse caught up with them. Both she and her friend started screaming as sand, small pebbles, and then large debris started to fall all around them.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Once again the scene changed, leaving Shayla's mind whirling. She was running again this time, but the feeling of panic was gone. In its place was a sinking feeling, one closer to sadness or dread than fear.

She was outside, and the long shadows denoted that the sun was about to set. She tried not to stumble in the loose sand as she made her way to her destination. Something deep was pushing her to go quicker, and that was pressing hard within her. Something was deeply bothering her, thought Shayla had no idea what it was. No new knowledge surface to clarify the situation.

Shayla hurried into the city, taking some darkening streets to a location she was very familiar with; the Temple of Isis. She headed behind it, aiming for the back entrance.

A thought pattern foreign to Shayla surfaced. _"Have to…Have to tell Ishizu. It was him all along, he was the threat… But…why?"_

She raced through the back door, hardly slowing as she opened it. The back corridors were dark, hardly any of the torches inside were lit. But she knew the passages and hurried down them, focused on what she needed to do. She noticed nothing else around her. However, Shayla did. She sensed the guard she raced passed, though the girl she was watching didn't.

The guard jumped out of the shadows, grabbing her from behind in a tight chokehold.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, struggling frantically.

"I don't think so, you're the one our high priest wants," he replied, sinisterly.

"_NO! Don't make me remember this!"_ that voice screamed so loudly in Shayla's head she tried to cover her ears, though she could not move freely. It was so forceful that it pushed her out of the stream of magic in the Millennial Scales.

"_What don't I want to remember? What have I forgotten?"_ Shayla wondered as she was pulled out. But no answer came. Instead she was suddenly hit with a massive weight of fatigue.

xEnd Dreamx

"What was that?!" exclaimed Duke.

"That light was so bright!" agreed Tristan.

They had all be watching the duel still. Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon had fought and their colossal powers exploded everywhere, showering the entire island with some of the brightest light ever seen. It lingered, and just now had faded.

"I hope Yu-Gi is okay," said Téa, anxiously.

"That makes two of us," agreed Duke.

CLATTER! They all turned around. Shayla had blacked out. Her scales had slid off of the bed and fallen to the floor. Her head was now on the bed.

"Shayla?!" exclaimed Téa, hurrying over to her.

"What happened?" asked Tristan.

"Please not again…" moaned Serenity.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," smiled Kevin, getting unnecessarily close to her, thus getting glared at by both Duke and Tristan.

"Shayla?" asked Téa, shaking her gently.

"Hmm…?" moaned Shayla, groggily.

"Can you stand?" asked Téa, helping her to her feet.

"Uh-huh," answered Shayla, only half conscious, but following Téa's guiding hands.

"You've stressed yourself out way too much, its time you get some rest," said Téa, leading her from the hospital wing.

"But…wait…" Shayla protested feebly, still disoriented.

She didn't put up much more of a fight as Téa lead her back to her room, gave her words of advice, and left. Shayla sat in the armchair in her room, still trying to piece together reality. The last visions she had had were the most intense yet, and she had no idea what to make of them. For a few moments, she was under the impression that the visions were real and nothing else was. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but she knew it had to be a while.

"_What is happening with me?" _Shayla wondered. _"Am I really starting to lose it? What is going on here? Things are happening so fast, and they're so different from anything that can be labeled normal. But what does it all mean?"_ She tumbled that thought over and over in her mind, but no answer would present itself. As she thought, she absent-mindedly toyed with her Millennial Scales.

"_I still don't know how to use these…I didn't help Mai at all…"_ she thought, very glumly. She clenched her scales. _"I need to figure out what is going on here before it gets any worse." _She stood up, throwing her item into her backpack and headed to the door. _"I hope Ishizu knows…I can't make sense of all these weird dreams, I hope she can."_ With that, she left her room and started towards Ishizu's.

She was about halfway across the airship when the PA came on.

"The winner of the duel is Yu-Gi Motou, he will advance to the final round and duel Marik Ishtar," announced Rollin.

(AN/ xBursts into tearsx)

"_It's over?"_ thought Shayla. _"Where did the time go…?"_ She actually stopped walking when the next thought hit. _"Before, back in the Duelist Kingdom, I could hardly wait to be present for a Yu-Gi and Kaiba rematch. How things have changed, I do not care any more. Well, hopefully this will stop Kaiba from talking about how he's going to win this thing. Still, I am sure it was a good duel."_

Shayla continued walking, though she took a wrong turn at one point in time which ended up being a longer detour than she thought. She paused once she had doubled back close to the entrance/exit of the airship because she thought she heard footsteps behind her. But she heard nothing after she stopped, so she continued.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her and pulled her into a doorway, placing one hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. Shayla struggled, briefly remembering the last scene in her prior vision. But the arms were strong and she could not pull free.

"Shh, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," the other person said. He had messy forest green hair and eyes that glimmer mischievously. He wore black jeans and a white T-Shirt with a black leather vest over it. He let go of the grip he had over her mouth.

"Rudy?!" Shayla practically shrieked.

(AN/ Master of Dimension's OC, not mine.)

"Shh!" he hushed her, once more covering her mouth. He dropped his voice a bit more. "It's not safe."

A billion questions threatened to pour out of her, but with his hand over her mouth, she could not ask them. _Who was he? Why was he following her? What was he doing here? What was the danger? How did he keep appearing and disappearing?_ The sound of approaching footsteps cut her thoughts short. She could feel Rudy tense up beside her.

The third person got close, right around the corner from the doorway they were hiding in. He stood there a while, making both Shayla and Rudy nervous.

"I knew I saw her come this way," he grumbled. Yami Marik. Shayla tried not to gasp while Rudy had his eyes locked on Yami Marik's shadow, waiting for him to move. _"That weak bearer of the scales would be the perfect target for a warm-up duel against the pharaoh. By crushing her I would not only crush his spirit, but also gain another Millennial Item. But where could she have gone?"_ He started walking again, not bothering to turn down their hallway.

"That was too close," said Rudy, release his grip on her. "You need to be more careful Shayla, you seem to attract trouble."

"How…what…why?" Shayla started to ask, all of her questions jumbling together.

"Don't worry about all of that," Rudy said. "All you need to know is that I'm here to protect you. When you're in trouble, I'll be there." He stepped out of the doorway and walked away.

"Wait!" protested Shayla, but he vanished. She let out an exasperated sigh and added the 'Rudy Mystery' to her list of things to figure out. She straightened up, taking a moment to remember what she had been doing in the first place. Shayla was going to talk herself into calming down but then realized she was calm. She could now feel the safety and security around her, the same feeling she had when she had a vision about the Israelite family. It had crept up on her while she had been with Rudy. Another piece of the mystery.

"Who were you talking to?" a familiar voice asked, coming from behind her. Seto Kaiba.

"Rudy," Shayla answered, not being able to lie even if she had wanted to. She could hear the edge in his tone. Kaiba was tense about something, and Shayla would bet it was losing the duel.

"Who?" he asked.

"I wish I knew…"

"You mean some stranger is on this ship?"

"…well, yeah…I guess so…that's one way of putting it."

"Grr, I won't tolerate stowaways during my tournament," Kaiba growled, hurrying down the corridor in the direction he thought Rudy had gone.

"Weirder and weirder…" muttered Shayla.

"Shayla! I thought I told you to get some rest!" called Téa, approaching her with several other people.

"Téa?" said Shayla. _"I guess they're all returning from the duel."_

"Ha! Kaiba lost!" said Kevin for the uncounted time since the duel ended.

"He soooo had that coming!" agreed Joe. "I'm only sorry I'm not the one to kick his sorry butt."

"Joe?!" gasped Shayla, stunned by hearing his voice.

"In person," replied Joe, flashing a pseudo-celebrity smile.

"But…how…?"

"He finally snapped out of it," answered Tristan. "Good thing, he was in bad shape up until a minute ago."

"Nah-uh," protested Joe. "Twenty minutes ago."

"You had us really worried you know," said Téa. "Mokuba radioed an emergency helicopter and everything."

"_Things are definitely happening way t0o fast,"_ thought Shayla, shaking her head.

"I know, I know," muttered Joe. "And it's a pain keeping all of the doctors off of my case."

"What about Mai?" asked Shayla.

It went suddenly somber.

"Nothing, nothing at all…." answered Duke, awkwardly.

"Er…That reminds me," stammered Shayla. "Joe, I'm sorry for getting on your case about why Mai got hurt."

"Eh, it's forgotten already," said Joe. "Everyone's been tense lately, don't think anything of it." Shayla nodded. "I just wish I could do something to snap her out of it."

"I wish I could do something to snap Drake out of it," said Lara, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Mmm, Slifer," said Drake, dreamily.

"He really is hopeless," sweat-dropped Lara.

"Come on guys, let's go check on Mai and Serenity. I don't like the idea of my sister being alone around here as long as Marik is lose," said Joe.

"Right," agreed Tristan and Duke, instantly.

"There has to be something we can do for her…" said Téa.

"It all comes down to the last duel," said Lara.

"Don't worry," said Yami Yu-Gi. "Marik will not win."

12


	16. Hearts in Darkness

AN/ Authoress license used with the Kaiba/Joe duel. TBR

The group headed back to the hospital wing, but Shayla hung back. When she was sure they weren't noticing her, she turned down a different hall and set out to find Ishizu again. She had too many questions she needed answered, and Ishizu was the only one she knew who might be able to provide those answers.

She had just disappeared from that hallway to the left when Ishizu entered it through the other end. About three seconds later, Téa emerged from the hospital wing, looking down both sides of the hall. She had just realized Shayla had not entered with them, and was looking for the blind girl.

"Téa?" asked Ishizu, a bit surprised.

"Oh, hello," greeted Téa, equally surprised. "Have you seen Shayla?"

"Not recently," answered Ishizu. "But I wish to speak to you for a moment."

"What is it, Ishizu?" asked Téa.

"It's Shayla," answered Ishizu. "Something has changed about her since this morning. I have seen her once, and she seemed very distant. What happened this morning?"

"That's a long explanation," said Téa with a shudder, remembering the prior experience in the virtual world. She noticed Ishizu's expression, so continued. "But we all went through it together, so I don't see why Shayla would act differently about it…at least any different from us…oooh…" Her eyes went wide.

"What is it?"

"Well…Shayla wasn't with us…She was Gozaburo's prisoner…."

"I see…Is there more?"

"Well…we sorta…forgot she was trapped in the virtual world with us," said Téa, a bit ashamed.

"Does she know this?"

"I don't see how she could…"

"…She seems…lonely. Are you sure she doesn't know?"

Téa paused for a moment, trying to figure it out. When she finally answered, she answered slowly. "If…she did…aww man, she probably feels totally abandoned."

Ishizu nodded slowly.

"I'll go talk with her," said Téa.

"Thank you."

Before Téa could follow that course of action her eyes went blank and distant, completely glazed over. The pupil was gone. The muscles in her upper back and shoulders went limp.

"Téa?" asked Ishizu.

"Sister, it's me," came Marik's voice out of her mouth. He had managed to maintain control of her since he first took control of her. Téa never broke free like Joe did, and now Téa was the only way Marik could get free enough from his dark side to speak.

"Marik!" gasped Ishizu, softly. "It's been so long…"

"I don't have much time left."

"I knew you we're getting weaker as your dark side grows stronger. It's been so long since we were able to talk…"

"I know sister. Every time he harms someone, his powers grow as I fade. If he wins the next duel, I will cease to exist entirely."

"Marik! No!"

"I must do something while I still have the strength. I must confront my dark side and try to regain control of my body."

"Marik! Please!" pleaded Ishizu.

"It's too late," replied Marik, turning around in Téa's body and running down the halls to the right, to the exit of the airship. He glanced back. "Please take care of Odion!"

"Marik!" protested Ishizu, but he was gone. Deep creases of worry spread across her forehead.

The noise outside caused someone else to be curious. Kevin Hunter popped his head out of the hospital wing. "Did I hear yelling?"

"Kevin?" asked Ishizu, a bit surprised.

"Where did Téa go?"

Ishizu looked away, uncertain of how to answer.

"I'll go find her," answered Kevin, not noticing Ishizu's demeanor. He smiled dreamily and walked down the hall and turned left.

"_Marik…I will not lose you,"_ thought Ishizu, walking down the corridor and turning right.

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Shayla knocked on Ishizu's door, and was surprised when she got no answer.

"_Where could she be? Ishizu has so seldom left her room… I guess I had come to depend on her being here…but I shouldn't be expecting it. Ishizu does have a life besides helping me…"_

Still, Shayla stood there for a moment. She was really searching for an answer to all the visions she had been having. Without Ishizu, Shayla did not know who to go to for answers. She really did feel lost in the world of magic she had been submerged into.

"Shayla?" called a voice, breaking her thoughts.

"Oh, hello Kevin," replied Shayla, turning her head so she could best hear him approach.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Kevin replied. "Have you seen Téa?"

"No. I haven't," answered Shayla, very dryly, causing Kevin to instantly realize his mistake.

"Sorry about that," said Kevin, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "I sometimes forget you're…you know…blind…because you're so graceful."

"Oh?" murmured Shayla, sensing the flirting but not taking it seriously.

"Yes, of course!" Kevin instantly responded. He stepped closer to her. "I mean, you're really nice, when you're not being shy, and you're prett—."

"What is going on here?" demanded Kaiba, walking down the hall.

"Eep!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Oh, hello Kaiba," greeted Shayla.

"None of that answers my question," replied Kaiba, staring pointedly at Kevin.

Kevin coughed a few times and managed to squeak out, "I'm looking for Téa! Bye!" He scampered down the hall as fast as he could without running.

Shayla merely stood there. She was about at her limit for surprises for the time being. Like anyone else who reached this limit, a sort of apathy was beginning to set in. Her friends acting stranger than normal was not one of her biggest concerns at the moment.

"Was he bothering you?" asked Kaiba, semi-coldly.

"No, not really. I was just searching for Ishizu," replied Shayla.

Kaiba was still glaring daggers down the corridor where Kevin fled. _"That mouse has some nerve!"_

"Kaiba?" asked Shayla, puzzled by his silence. She could still feel tension coming from him and guessed he was still sore about losing.

"_Tell her!"_ a voice practically shouted in Kaiba's ear. He shook his head. _"Absolutely not! This is not the time. I was hoping to tell her once I regained my crown, but now…"_

"Never mind…" Kaiba muttered. "What was that mouse doing here anyways?"

"Kevin? Looking for Téa," answered Shayla.

"Nothing else?"

"No. What brings you here?"

"I was looking for you. I need more information about the stowaway."

"Rudy?"

"Whatever," replied Kaiba. "I haven't found him anywhere. Regardless, his presence here is inexcusable."

"What does it have to do with me?"

"You're the only one who knows about him. How did he get here? Why is he here? What does he look like?"

Shayla merely hung her head and let out an exasperated sigh at the last question.

"Er…sorry…"

"I don't know anything about him, actually," answered Shayla. "He showed up during Battle City when someone was trying to cheat me…And then he just kept appearing at the weirdest times."

"He's been…following you?"

"Well, yeah. He promised me he'd always be around to protect me."

"He what!" exclaimed Kaiba, jealousy shooting through the roof.

"He promised…" replied Shayla, a bit taken back by Kaiba's outburst.

Kaiba's hand were both clenched into tight fists. His left eye twitched once. Kaiba was momentarily grateful that Shayla couldn't see that. "He sounds like a stalker, you need to stay away from him!"

"I don't sense anything dark like that in him," replied Shayla.

"Don't you start on that stuff!" exclaimed Kaiba. _"But she can't lie…"_

"I trust Rudy," continued Shayla, calmer than she thought she could be. "Luther always said that I was a good judge of character, if I could trust myself more."

"Luther!" Kaiba couldn't help but exclaim. _"Hunter is flirting with her, Rudy is stalking her, and she's still hung up on her old boyfriend! What am I thinking, she's not interested in me."_

"Luther taught me a lot about people, and about myself," Shayla answered, a bit distantly.

Kaiba looked at her and lost the words he was going to say. At that moment he could pick up on the same emotion Ishizu had sensed in Shayla, loneliness. At that moment, he wanted to help her. Shayla had her head tilted slightly down, her hair falling into her face, and Seto suddenly felt the urge to embrace her.

"_What is going on with me!" _he wondered. "I see…I have things to do…" He started walking down the halls.

"Kaiba, wait," called Shayla.

He stopped, but said nothing.

"I…want to apologize about earlier."

"Apologize about what?"

"When I went off on you after the missile hit. I was stressed…I never should have taken it out on you. I know what I said was true, but that doesn't mean I should have said it when and how I did. I'm sorry."

"Forget about it," he said, walking away again. He was almost eager to leave. _"Oh my gosh…I'm jealous!" _He grit his teeth and shook his head, vanishing around the corner.

"That seemed almost…normal compared to everything else," muttered Shayla. _Follow him._ That idea hit her so fast she was surprised by it.

"_Why would I want to follow him?"_ she asked herself. She pursued this thought a bit further. _"His attitude has been driving me nuts since Battle City began. It seems so contradictory. I want to know why… Geh! Why do I always seem to be thinking about him?"_ She turned and walked down the other corridor.

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Yami Marik was sulking around on the tournament level of the duel tower. Despite the upcoming duel against his target, he was clearly not happy. His face was twitching with pent up frustration.

"Show me what you showed Kaiba and the pharaoh!" he shouted at the Millennial Rod.

Nothing happened. The Millennial Rod merely glistened in the sunlight, but that was not a magic glimmer. The rod was not going to recreate the flashback it created for Kaiba and Yami, not for this evil spirit. It was the same surge of power from the rod and god cards that caused Shayla's major flashback as well. But Yami Marik was not to be part of that.

"Grrr!" Yami Marik threw the Millennial Rod down out of frustration. It skittered several feet across the surface of the duel arena.

It came to a stop at the feet of a person who had entered silently, while Yami Marik was ranting to himself. She bent down and picked up the discarded rod. She held it with crossed arms, with the rod, head up, beside her own face. The eye of Horus on the rod was watching Yami Marik.

"Hey! That's mine!" protested Yami Marik, turning around and facing the newcomer. "Give it back, Téa! You can't use it!"

Téa said nothing. The eye of Horus flared. A burst of raw magic power knocked Yami Marik off of his feet, back into the railing. He winced slightly, standing back up to his full height.

He glowered across the duel arena at Téa, looking passed her vacant eyes.

"I see, this is where you've been hiding," he growled to his light soul. "You've taken refuge in the mind of this girl."

"That's right," came Marik's voice from Téa's body. "And now it's my job to stop you from doing any more harm!"

"You? Stop me?" laughed Yami Marik. "Fool! I am you! You no longer exist! You're nothing but a shadow now, one of my memories! And soon, the power of the pharaoh will be mine!"

"I'm not going to let them happen," said Marik, in a low tone. He held out the Millennial Rod at arm's length, head point at Yami Marik. He then walked toward Yami Marik, forcing his dark soul to walk backward to avoid a potential point blank blast from the rod.

He had only taken a few steps backward when his back hit the railing. Yami Marik's violet-grey eyes quickly darted behind him. The railing was the only thing that prevented him from a multiple story plunge into the scrap metal below. Marik stood directly in front of him (in Téa's body) with the Millennial Rod in his dark side's face.

"I'm going to force you over the side," Marik said. "Then you'll be gone and never hurt anyone again!"

"You fool! You'll destroy your own body! You'll die too!" snapped Yami Marik, stalling for time.

"It's a price I am more than willing to pay."

"You always were a weak fool," glowered Yami Marik. "Look at yourself! You're hiding inside this pathetic human girl! You're nothing without Odion!"

"Odion…" murmured Marik, emotionally.

Yami Marik took this hesitation and used it to his full advantage. He grabbed the Millennial Rod and jerked it forward. Marik was still holding tightly to it and stumbled. Yami Marik then grabbed Téa's wrist. He pushed Téa's body so she (and Marik) were thrown into the railing which jammed into their gut. Yami Marik twirled the rod and caught it easily, now pointing it at Téa/Marik's head.

"Now it's your turn!" exclaimed Yami Marik.

Yami Marik swung the Millennial Item, intent on pushing Téa and Marik both off of the roof. Marik did some very quick thinking. He grabbed onto the upper railed and forced Téa's body into a handstand, balanced on the pole. One hand then shot around the other and grabbed the bar, turning his handstand into a one-eighty. As the rod swept down towards him, he pushed against the bar, launching himself into the air. He landed expertly behind Yami Marik.

However, that didn't mean that Yami Marik didn't have any moves of his own. He whirled around, already preparing the Millennial Rod. The moment he knew the rod was pointing at his weaker side, he let lose with it's power. The blast caught Marik off guard. He in Téa's body flew across the dueling field, coming to a stop at about the center of the tower.

Yami Marik stood over them, his rod point down. Marik came to his senses fairly quickly. He looked up at his dark side with an absolutely horrified expression on his face.

"Now to banish you to the darkness forever!" laughed Yami Marik, charging up the rod again.

"Stop right there!" demanded a female voice as the far elevator opened. Ishizu stepped out, her blue-grey eyes burning. Her voice was so authoritative that Yami Marik did stop, locking his eyes on her.

"I will not let you hurt my brother!" she said, standing beside Téa/Marik.

Yami Marik chuckled. "Your brother no longer exists! I am your brother now!" His smirked broadened. "Now, I think it's time I sent you to join your father!" He lifted the Millennial Rod away from Téa's face and instead pointed it at Ishizu. Worry flickered across her face, but she stood firm.

"Sister…you must stop him," said Marik, weakly. "But forget about me…" His strength gave out and he lost control of Téa. Téa's body slumped backward on the ground.

"Marik!" protested Ishizu.

"Now it's your turn!" laughed Yami Marik.

"ENOUGH!" a loud voice shouted across the top of the tower.

Unnoticed, the elevator had opened once again. Yami Yu-Gi stepped out, his Millennial Puzzle glowing slightly as well as the Eye of Horus on his forehead. He leveled his violet eyes on Yami Marik.

"Well, if it isn't the pharaoh," smirked Yami Marik, looking like Christmas had come.

"Marik! I will not let you hurt anyone else!" snapped Yami.

"Bring it on then," gloated Yami Marik, pulling the rod away from Ishizu and charging it up to use against Yami. Yami responded in the same way, summoning the power of the Millennial Puzzle. The air cracked with magic and tension.

But, before the fight could begin, Yami Marik withdrew. A sinister smirk lit up his face, and his eyes danced around haughtily. He had figured something out.

"No, not now," he said, flouncing passed Ishizu. "It is not yet time for our confrontation pharaoh." He brushed passed Yami. "But you can be sure when we duel, I will send you straight into the shadows!" He laughed, stepped into the elevator, and the door closed behind him.

"Ishizu! What is Téa doing up here?" asked Yami, running over to his friend.

"I am sorry my pharaoh…" said Ishizu. "My brother's good side had been taking refuge inside of Téa. He wanted to confront his dark side so he came here…. Please, my pharaoh. Save my brother."

"I promise I will," said Yami. "And I promise I'll save Mai and Bakura, who also lost Shadow Games."

"Ugh…." Téa groaned slightly, waking up. "What am I doing up here?"

"Téa! Are you okay?" asked Yami.

"Yeah…have I been sleep walking?"

_/Should we tell her that Marik's good side has been controlling her/_ asked Yu-Gi. _/Maybe not…/_

Ishizu was staring out at the sky, clearly worried. Her thoughts raced around, hope battling against logic for the life of her brother.

"Come on Téa," said Yami. "Let's go find the others."

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Once they made it off of the tower, the group went its own way. Yami and Téa quickly hurried back to the hospital wing to join their friends. Ishizu lingered outside a moment longer. When she reentered the ship, Shayla happened to turn onto the same hallway.

"Shayla!" called Ishizu.

"Lady Ishizu!" exclaimed Shayla, breathing a sigh of relief. "I've been searching for you."

"As I you," replied Ishizu.

Before they could continue, two more people turned down the same hallway.

"Hello Ishizu, Hi Shayla!" greeted Mokuba, so brightly it almost seemed fake.

"Oh great…" groaned Seto Kaiba, still brooding over his defeat.

"Hi Mokuba," replied Shayla.

"I must speak with you too, Kaiba," said Ishizu when he tried to hurry passed them. "You must be present for the final duel of this tournament."

"Don't start with me," grumbled Kaiba. He had some nastier things to say, but he was unwilling to say them with Shayla present.

"You seem to think the pharaoh cannot beat Ra with his two Egyptian god cards," remarked Ishizu.

"The odds are slim to none," he replied, coldly. "Ra has so many special abilities it is almost invincible. But none of that concerns me any more. As far as I'm concerned, Battle City is over."

"Walking away now will be a huge mistake."

"Don't tell me you're still believing in those stupid fairy tales."

"The pharaoh will need your help to win," continued Ishizu, staring straight into his eyes. Kaiba glared briefly, then turned and started to walk away again. Ishizu said two words in ancient Egyptian. Seto Kaiba stopped, his eyes wide when he realized he knew exactly what she said.

Mokuba was watching, quizzically and hopefully. Shayla was curious too. But when Ishizu spoke those two words, Shayla couldn't help but gasp as well. Something was going on here, she and Seto both knew it. But they had no idea what. The unanswered questions were adding up.

"I know you know how to read the ancient text," said Ishizu in the silence. "You know what it says on Ra, as well as what the ancient tablet says. The sorcerer on that tablet might have been the pharaoh's rival, but he was also the pharaoh's friend. The past is repeating itself. You must help your friend like you did 5,000 years ago."

Kaiba turned around and looked like he had something to say to her, but Ishizu continued before he could get a word in.

"As you know the words on the ancient tablet are a memorial to the dead pharaoh, written by his friend—the same sorcerer pictured in that tablet! If you continue to deny your heritage, the entire world will suffer. As the sorcerer, you constantly pushed the pharaoh to reach his potential, to become stronger. And now, the time has come to help him again. Yu-Gi needs your help."

"I've heard enough!" snapped Kaiba. "I held this tournament to reclaim my title, not because of some stupid words on a dumb old piece of stone."

"You're wrong," replied Ishizu, simply.

"Listen, I built the duel tower to represent my triumph over my step-father. Now I can't stand to look at the thing! That's all that's going on here, so you can drop the line about the ancient past. The future is all that matters. It's time to erase the past!"

"You're being ridiculous. Open your mind and accept it. The Duel Tower you built is the crossing of souls, a sanctuary you built with your own soul."

"You accuse me of being ridiculous? I still know how I can bury the past!" Kaiba glared malevolently outside at the tower, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"Don't start that again," groaned Shayla. Kaiba paused, almost having forgotten she was there. "Right now, the past is feeding into the present. You can't deny it. Everything from the tournament boils down to this one duel."

"The tournament is over for me," he growled.

"You're so bitter…" Shayla said, shaking her head. Ishizu took an unnoticed step backward, to best let these two talk. Kaiba was eyeing Shayla up, trying to place his finger on something that was beginning to nag at him again. But that thing would not be labeled.

"Bitterness, distrust, anger….they're all such awful feelings," Shayla said, slightly distantly.

"Shayla?" asked Mokuba.

"I've been there, and it's such an awful place to be," she explained. She straightened up and turned, and confronted Kaiba as best as she could tell. "You don't need to bury the past, you need to bury your hatred. It's not the events of the past that are holding you down, but your feelings towards those events. So bury those emotions."

Kaiba could only stare at her. It boggled his mind how she always could find the center of his problem so easily, tell him so directly, and how he couldn't hate her for it. It was her direct honesty he couldn't help but admire. Sometimes Seto wondered why that didn't bother him about Shayla. He knew that if anyone else had called him on the things she did, he would resent that person. But not with Shayla. He concluded it was her motives. He knew she was always concerned about someone else. Unlike everyone else, she had no desire for her self. Kaiba knew that was true, he had seen it in the Duelist Kingdom when she had tried to help him while everyone else merely tried to beat Pegasus.

"_Tell her now,"_ that tiny voice once more nagged. _"Tell her you're not full of hate. Tell her you care about her."_ He once more brushed that voice aside.

"Attention duelists," announced the PA. "Will Marik Ishtar and Yu-Gi Motou report to the duel tower for the final duel."

"You are all hoping for the impossible," said Seto, at length. "Yu-Gi only has a three percent chance of winning this duel."

"You know how to increase those odds," stated Ishizu.

"There is a way," admitted Kaiba. "There is one card, only one, that will increase Yu-Gi's chances of winning by fourteen percent. If used properly, this card will help him against Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Awesome! You figured it all out!" exclaimed Mokuba.

"The card not only has to be used, but it has to be used in the right way, Mokuba," explained Kaiba. With that he turned and walked towards the exit of the blimp.

"Where are you going?" asked Mokuba.

"To the top of my duel tower!"

"All right!" cheered Mokuba, hurrying to catch up with his brother.

"_I suspected as much,"_ thought Ishizu, looking at Seto, then at Shayla. "Thank you, Shayla."

"Hmm?" asked Shayla, snapping back to reality. Her thoughts had wondered to Kaiba again. His actions constantly puzzled her. She knew he put on a front, to hide his real thoughts and feelings. But she wanted to know what the real thoughts and feelings were. He confused her, and then she would confuse herself even more by wondering why he was always on her mind.

"Come on, let's see this thing through," said Ishizu, also heading to the duel tower. Shayla nodded and followed, trusting her.

They were the last ones to the elevator. The four stood at the bottom of the tower, waiting for it to return. As deep as the prior conversation had been, a silence settled over the group. Each of their own thoughts had started to roam. The elevator came and they all got on without a word and began to ascend to the top of the tower.

"_Does this mean Seto is going to help Yu-Gi?"_ wondered Mokuba. _"I hope it does! I want to see Seto relax and his smile come back!"_

"_As much as I want to see Yu-Gi suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of Ra, it would also be an interesting test to see if he can use this card right,"_ thought Kaiba. _"I'll give him the card, that way no one can say a thing against me if he fails. But, against Ra, it would take a miracle for Yu-Gi to win."_

"_Brother…I'm coming. I will not leave you in your hour of need,"_ thought Ishizu. She reached for her collarbone. _"There must be hope…"_

"_I must have failed,"_ thought Shayla. _"I'm not strong enough, I couldn't help my best friend. And now it comes down to this." _ She listened to the silence. _"This is the most awkward elevator ride ever."_ She suddenly stiffened. _"What am I thinking coming up here again!"_

The elevator stopped, the door opened, and everyone stepped off, returning to the positions they had taken during the last duel they had all attended.

"And now the final duel will comm—," Rollin was saying.

"One moment!" interrupted Kaiba. "Yu-Gi, you need this!" With perfect accuracy he threw a card to Yami, who caught it easily.

"Huh?" wonder Yami.

"If you want to beat the Winged Dragon of Ra, you need that card," repeated Kaiba, crossing his arms. _"This will be the ultimate test of his skill. If he can use that card right, there is a twenty percent chance he'll win. But odds are he'll lose, and that will end this nonsense about ancient myths and the strength of friendship."_

"Fiend's Sanctuary?" wondered Yami, staring at the card.

"If you want to win you'll use that card instead of relying on your little fan club," stated Kaiba.

Yami looked at the card, puzzled. _"Why did Kaiba give me this card? Does he know something about The Winged Dragon of Ra?"_

"Use it wisely," Kaiba merely said icily, crossing his arms.

"Why did Kaiba give Yu-Gi a card?" asked Téa, out-loud.

"Maybe it's a weapon against Ra," suggested Duke.

"Yeah right!" retorted Joe. "I don't trust that thing! It's probably some kind of trap! If I were you, Yug, I'd throw that thing right off of the Duel Tower!"

"I second that," added Kevin.

"It's your choice," replied Kaiba, still artic cold.

"Thank you…" said Shayla, softly, off to his side.

Yu-Gi said nothing, he just pulled his deck out of his duel disk and shuffled the Fiend's Sanctuary into it. Joe and Kevin's complaining could be heard from the sidelines.

"It is a good card," commented Drake. "Though hardly anyone uses it."

"But what is Kaiba planning on having Yu-Gi do with it?" asked Lara.

"We might not always see eye to eye, Kaiba, but I still trust you," said Yami, loudly, as he slid his deck back into his duel disk.

"Pharaoh!" shouted Yami Marik, across the field. "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life! Soon your power will be mine! It doesn't matter what card you just received! It is useless in front of Ra!"

"Marik! I will defeat you and save you from the darkness!" declared Yami.

Veins pulsed across Yami Marik's face. "Come and get me!" he shouted.

"This isn't going to be easy, even though Yu-Gi has two god cards and Marik has only one," commented Joe.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tristan.

"Yu-Gi needs to sacrifice three monsters to summon either Slifer or Obelisk. But Marik only needs one card; Monster Reborn. Ra has so many special abilities its nearly impossible to beat. Wait!" He glanced across the duel arena at Kaiba. "Rich-boy did say his computers had figured Ra out. Maybe that card he gave Yug will help him defeat Ra."

"I hope so," said Téa. "There's so much at stake here."

"Now, each duelist will shuffle the other's deck," announced Rollin.

Yami Marik and Yami stepped forward and exchanged decks. Yami said nothing, but Yami Marik couldn't help but use this time to gloat.

"Shuffle well pharaoh!" he laughed. "And pray with all your might that Ra is on the bottom!"

"Thank you, Kaiba," said Ishizu.

"So what?" replied Seto Kaiba. "Yu-Gi still has to figure out how to use it. And even then he'll probably still lose. Then you can stop believing in fairy tales and stop living in the past. Yu-Gi is not pharaoh. He is not destined to save the world. That stone tablet is meaningless to me. The only way to succeed is to look ahead. The past is dead."

"That's not true. The soul and the spirit last forever," stated Ishizu. "And before this duel is over, you will know the truth. I trust Yu-Gi, and I trust the power of friendship to beat a god."

"Why can't it be both?" asked Shayla. "The past is important. That is where we gather our experience and learn who were are and who we don't want to be. But the present and future don't stop when we look to the past. They're all part of the same. It's like a tree. The past is the roots, the present is the trunk, and the future is the branches. A tree without roots cannot survive any more than a tree without branches or without a trunk."

Neither Ishizu or Seto replied.

"_Great…now I've offended everyone…"_ thought Shayla.

"_How does she manage to say just the right thing every time?"_ wonder Kaiba, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. But he turned his gaze back to the duel arena. _"Yu-Gi thinks I gave him that card as an act of friendship. That's ridiculous! We could never be friends!"_

Yami and Yami Marik walked back to their original positions on the platform.

"Come on Yu-Gi! I know you can win this! We all believe in you!" shouted Téa.

"You have to win…for Mai," said Joe, softer.

"Be careful, Yu-Gi!" added Tristan. "There's no telling what crap this psycho will pull!"

"Whatever Marik is planning, it will be bad," commented Drake. "Each shadow duel has had progressively worse consequences."

"But Yu-Gi's the champ," said Lara. "He beat Max, who made the game, he can beat Marik."

"Good point Lara," agreed Drake. _"Dad…there's still time during this tournament. I will find a way to wake you up."_

"Let the duel commence!" shouted Rollin.

"Let the fun begin," smirked Yami Marik, licking the Millennial Rod. He then raised the rod high. A violet-black cloud engulfed the entire top of the duel tower. The shadows merged with it, surrounding everyone present in darkness.

"Not another shadow game…" moaned Téa.

"We all saw this one coming," said Duke.

"Pharaoh! I've prepared the ultimate shadow game for you!" laughed Yami Marik, insanely.

"Why…Why…Why did I ever come here in the first place?" asked Shayla.

"Shayla, have faith. Trust yourself, and trust your friends," said Ishizu.

"Friends…." muttered Shayla. Then her head bobbed up an inch, an idea hitting her. "We all knew a shadow game was coming. But Yu-Gi has a Millennial Item also. Couldn't he have made a shadow game first, a nicer one, so no one would get hurt… What am I thinking!"

"It's okay, child," said Ishizu. _"She is still very strategic, though she hides her strengths. Not much has changed at all."_

"Now, for the first of the surprises the darkness holds!" continued Yami Marik, raising the rod up.

The hourglass containing Mai lowered. She was up to her neck in sand. Time was clearly running out. She shouted for help, but clearly could not see the crowd right below her.

"Mai!" exclaimed Joe, lunging forward. Tristan and Kevin reacted just as quickly, holding him back. "You freak! Let her go! You monster!"

"Mai…" Shayla said, softly.

Yami Marik laughed. "Once this duel is over, she'll be lost to the shadows forever!"

"I won't let this madness continue!" shouted Yami.

"She's not the only one in danger!" continued Yami Marik. "Meet my neck victim!"

Yami looked up, over his right shoulder. Yu-Gi blinked a few times, opening his eyes.

"No! Yu-Gi!" cried Yami.

His light soul had been chained to the darkness by his wrists and ankles. He was hung about ten feet above the ground. Yu-Gi gasped in surprise and struggled, but he was bound too tightly.

"Yu-Gi!" cried his friends.

"Leave Yu-Gi out of this!" demanded Yami. "This duel is between you and me!"

"You're forgetting about my weaker half!" chortled Yami Marik, gesturing behind his left shoulder.

Good Marik was there, bound similarly to Yu-Gi. His head was hung low, and he seemed to be completely unconscious. Yami Marik had no been kind to him because of their last confrontation, when Marik controlled Téa to try to stop his dark side. And now, the ultimate price had been set up.

"Brother!" gasped Ishizu, eyes wide.

"If I lose, my former self will be sent into the shadows," gloated Yami Marik. "However, when I win, I'll send him to the shadow realm anyways! Now, to start this duel! I summon Vampiric Leech in attack mode!" His monster appeared on the field. It looked like a bloated, ugly green worm. It had a row of razor sharp teeth. Its stats were 500 and 1200. "Vampiric Leech has a special ability, Instant Attack!" The worm charged forward, attacking Yami directly. Yami gasped in surprise. But Yu-Gi screamed in pain.

"Yu-Gi!" cried Yami, looking up. Part of Yu-Gi's legs were vanishing, slowly dissolving into shadows.

Yami Marik laughed and explained. "Any time you lose life points pharaoh, little Yu-Gi loses a piece of himself to the darkness. And the same applies to my weaker half."

"I won't duel!" Yami instantly snapped.

"You have to," said Yu-Gi, wincing.

"Yu-Gi's right! You're playing by my rules now!" gloated Yami Marik. "I can banish little Yu-Gi to the shadows any time I like!"

"_But if I win, I'll end up sending Marik to the shadow realm,"_ thought Yami. _"I made a promise to Ishizu to save him!"_

Yami Marik could see his hesitation, and enjoyed it. "We're both the bearers of Millennial Items. It's all fair!"

"Grr…"

"_The fool,"_ thought Yami Marik. _"I control this shadow game! When I win, I'll send him straight into the darkness with Yu-Gi. But if he somehow manages to win, my weaker side will pay the price, but the shadows will never harm me!"_

"Ever since we first met, we've fought ever duel together," called Yu-Gi to Yami. "This duel will be no different. I'm right next to you. We'll defeat Marik together. That's why the Millennial Puzzle brought us both together."

"Thank you Yu-Gi," replied Yami. _"I will continue this fight and defeat Marik's dark heart. Somehow, I will save both Marik and Yu-Gi, as well as Mai and Bakura. I will not let four innocent souls suffer."_

"It's still my turn, so I'll activate Vampiric Leech's second special ability," said Yami Marik. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can switch it to defense mode. Then I set one card face down to end my turn."

"_His move is so obvious,"_ thought Kaiba. _"He just sent the Winged Dragon of Ra to the graveyard so he can revive it with Monster Reborn, using its greatest special ability."_

"Then I summon Queen's Knight in attack mode!" announced Yami. His first monster appeared. She land long golden hair and wore a red and pink outfit, covered with a diamond pattern, clearly based off of a deck of cards. She had 1500 attack points.

"_So, he's trying to get three monsters on the field in order to summon one of his god cards,"_ thought Yami Marik.

"Now, Queen's Knight, attack his Vampiric Leech!" ordered Yami. The Queen's Knight drew her sword and leapt forward, slicing the worm to bits. "Then, I set two cards and end my turn." Two face down cards flashed in front of him.

Yami Marik drew his next card and laughed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this guys," said Joe. "I think he's going to try summoning Ra like he did when he dueled me."

"I've got just the card I've needed!" gloated Yami Marik. "But first, I summon Jurigato in attack mode!" This monster had 1700 attack points. "Now, Jurigato, attack his Queen's Knight!" With a scream and a flash of light, Queen's Knight was gone. Yu-Gi again cried out in pain as part of his arm vanished. Yami's life point counter stopped at 3300.

"If he had the card he needed, why did he not play it?" Shayla wondered, out-loud.

"My brother's dark side likes toying with people," answered Ishizu, emotionlessly. "He wishes to draw out the pharaoh's suffering."

"None of this is right…."

"I'll put these two cards face down and end my turn," finished Yami Marik. "Make your next pathetic move pharaoh."

Yami went to draw his next card.

"Now, I activate Left Arm Offering!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "This card allows me to select one magic card from my deck, as long as I discard all the other cards in my hand!"

"Oh no!" gasped Téa.

"He's going for Monster Reborn!" exclaimed Joe.

"No good…" murmured Kevin.

"Ra will return to me in its full glory next turn!" exclaimed Yami Marik, holding Monster Reborn so Yami could see it.

"I don't think so," replied Yami, smirking. "I activate Exchange! Now, we each get to select one card from our opponent's hand and add it to our own! And I choose your Monster Reborn!"

"Awesome! Yu-Gi had Marik figured out from the beginning!" exclaimed Duke.

"This duel is only just beginning," reminded Drake.

Yami Marik made a guttural noise in the back of his throat and plucked De-Fusion out of Yami's hand.

"_Even though he lost Monster Reborn, Marik still seems calm,"_ noted Kaiba.

"Now, I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back Queen's Knight!" declared Yami. "I also summon King's Knight! And when both are on the field together, I can special summon Jack's Knight!" All three appear in a flash of light.

"_So, he's planning on summoning Slifer on the next turn,"_ thought Yami Marik. _"It doesn't matter, I'm ready for him."_

"Awesome Yu-Gi!" called Tristan. "Now attack him! He's only got one monster!"

"Yeah, but he also has face down cards," reminded Duke.

"But he needs to beat Marik quick before Marik can summon Ra," Kevin pointed out.

"Marik's planning something," Lara said. "Yu-Gi can't charge in without a plan.

"You're right, Yu-Gi needs to be careful," agreed Téa.

"Come on, pharaoh! What are you waiting for!" taunted Yami Marik. "Come on and attack me!"

"_He has to have a terrible trap set,"_ thought Yami. "I end my turn."

"Why didn't Yu-Gi attack!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Yu-Gi has good instincts," said Joe. "He knew this wasn't the time."

"Unlike you," said Téa.

"Hey!"

"I'll set this card and move Jurigato to defense mode," said Yami Marik. "I could end this duel shortly, but it would be more fun to prolong your suffering pharaoh. I know you don't have a god card in your hand, so I think I'll help you, since this duel will be over with the moment I summon my god card, regardless of what monster you have on the field. Besides, Slifer is useless if you don't have a lot of cards in your hand, so I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands! Did you draw Slifer yet?" He laughed.

"Why is Marik helping Yu-Gi get Slifer?" asked Mokuba.

"Because he wants to beat it," answered Shayla. "That means Marik already has cards to use against it."

"I tribute King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight in order to summon Slifer to Sky Dragon!" shouted Yami. With a peal of thunder, Slifer formed on his side of the field with a loud bellow. Its red, serpentine body snaked all around Yami. Because of his full hand, Slifer had 6000 attack and defense points. "Now, Slifer, attack with Thunder Force!"

"Awesome!" cheered Joe.

"Go Yu-Gi!" exclaimed Téa.

"Marik won't stand a chance!" added Kevin.

"Guys, remember, Marik did let Yu-Gi summon it," said Lara. "You know what that means, right Drake?"

No response.

"Drake?" She looked over at her boyfriend.

"It's…amazing…" murmured Drake, his eyes locked on Slifer. Lara could have drown in her sweatdrop.

Yami Marik laughed. "Your monster is nothing. I activate Dark Spell Regeneration!"

"What does that do, Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"It let's Marik move any magic card from the graveyard to the field," answered Kaiba. "And we both know what card he wants."

"I now use Dark Spell Regeneration to activate Monster Reborn, bringing back the Winged Dragon of Ra in its invincible phoenix mode!" cackled Yami Marik.

Ra wrapped its ignited winged around Yami Marik's side of the field, shielding him from Slifer's attack.

"Thanks to the wrath of Ra, both Slifer and Yu-Gi will be burned to ash!" gloated Yami Marik. "Then, absolute power will be mine!"

"Yu-Gi!" exclaimed Téa.

"Drake!" snapped Lara, still trying to snap him out of it.

"Ra…and Slifer…" he managed to say, being completely lost in a dragonic fantasyland.

"Now, I'll activate another one of Ra's special abilities, Instant Attack!" continued Yami Marik.

"But they both have god cards on the field, doesn't that mean they're even?" asked Tristan.

"Not even close," said Joe. "Instant Attack will let Ra destroy all the monsters on the field, even Slifer. Trust me, I know. And I'm worried about Yu-Gi. That attack hurts!"

"Yeah, knocked you out cold for a couple of hours," reminded Duke.

"Lay off…" muttered Joe.

"My monster has a special ability also!" reminded Yami. "You summoned a monster, so Slifer can activate its second mouth, blowing Ra away!"

Yami Marik laughed as Ra again repelled Slifer's attack.

"Now, for my monster's special ability!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "Instant Attack costs me 1000 life points, which will come from the body of my weaker half!" Yami Marik's life points dropped to 3000 as Marik's arm began to vanish. Marik didn't even wake up. "Behold the wrath of Ra! Ra! Attack!"

Yami's entire side of the field was engulfed in flames so bright no one could look at them. Yami and Yu-Gi's screams could be heard from the middle of them. Every tensed, fearing the worst. Those seconds seemed to stretch on forever.

When the smoke and fire finally faded, Yami was standing, though smoldering slightly. Yu-Gi was breathing hard. Slifer was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you okay, aibou?" asked Yami.

"I'm fine," coughed Yu-Gi. "But you have to beat him or else everyone will suffer!"

Ra flickered on the other side of the field, then went out like a candle. God monsters are only affected by magic cards for one turn, and that turn was now over.

"Now, I activate the trap card Zombie's Jewel," stated Yami Marik. "This card lets me select any magic card from your graveyard and add it to my hand! Do you know what card I'll choose?"

"Come on!" protested Kevin. "He just got rid of Ra! He can't be using Monster Reborn again!"

"Marik is merciless," commented Duke.

"I want those dragons," said Drake.

"We never should have come," groaned Lara, sweat-dropping.

"Next turn, I'll finish you with Ra's greatest special ability," gloated Yami Marik, stroking Monster Reborn. "Luckily for you, Zombie's Jewel lets you draw one card. You'd better pray for a miracle pharaoh, because next turn I will send you into the shadows!"

Yami said nothing, placing his hand on his deck. _"My fate is in these cards. I have faith."_

"_I wonder if he'll draw the card Kaiba gave him,"_ thought Yami Marik. _"It would certainly be interesting. But nothing can save him in the end!"_

"Maybe Yu-Gi can win it, if he draws that card you gave him Seto," said Mokuba. His older brother didn't reply.

"Yu-Gi doesn't have a single monster on the field to protect his life points," commented Téa, her voice cracking with concern.

"Yeah, and if Marik can bring back Ra, Yu-Gi's going to be crushed!" added Tristan.

"But, if Marik does revive Ra with Monster Reborn, it won't have any attack points," said Duke. "So it wouldn't be able to hurt Yu-Gi's life points."

"I think Ra has a whole bag of tricks we have yet to see," replied Joe.

"But Marik told Yu-Gi what he was planning," said Lara. "So Yu-Gi has time to prepare."

"Make your next move wisely, pharaoh," said Yami Marik. "You know what happens to those I defeat. Their souls are banished for all eternity, and their treasures become mine." He pulled the Millennial Ring out from under his cloak.

"Hey! That's Bakura's!" gasped Tristan.

"What did you do to Bakura, you spiky-haired freak!" demanded Joe.

"Once I win this duel, I'll add your Millennial Puzzle to my collection," continued Yami Marik. "Let me show you how!" He raised the Millennial Rod, allowing Yami to see through his eyes the night he dueled and beat Yami Bakura. "You will be sent screaming into the shadows, just like he was!"

Yami gaped in horror.

"You monster!" exclaimed Kevin.

"So that's why we haven't seen Bakura anywhere…" said Drake, somberly.

"At least it got your mind off of the dragons," muttered Lara.

"I won't allow you to hurt my friends any more!" shouted Yami. "This stops now! I will free Mai and Bakura from your traps! And I will save you from yourself!"

"We can do this," said Yu-Gi as Yami's hand hovered over his deck. "We just need to rely on our ties of friendship. We need to draw the card that Kaiba gave us. He put his faith in us, and now we have to put our faith in him."

Yami nodded, closed his eyes, and drew the card.

"There is no doubt he drew the card he needed," said Ishizu, softly.

Without looking, Yami slid the card face down into one of his magic slots.

"Huh? What's going on?" asked Tristan.

Yami Marik merely looked at Yami, astonished.

"He didn't even look at the card!" exclaimed Duke.

"I've never seen Yu-Gi do anything like this before," added Joe.

"_So, will Yu-Gi have his miracle now?"_ wondered Kaiba, semi-sarcastically.

"Wait a moment!" protested Rollin. "You can't set a card without knowing what it is! You might have put it in the wrong spot."

"What does it matter if he doesn't see his cards?" asked Shayla. This caused Rollin to stammer badly for several seconds, not knowing what to say without offending her.

"That's enough, Rollin," said Kaiba. "I find this to be interesting. I'm going to let it continue."

"Has the pressure gotten to you?" taunted Yami Marik. "This is the last draw of your life! You should at least look at the card as a souvenir before you die!"

"It's your turn," said Yami, simply.

"It's time for Ra to wipe you out forever!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "I activate Monster Reborn, bringing Ra back to the field again!" Once more, flames danced around Yami Marik as Ra formed, burning brightly, which was a total contrast to the shadow realm. "I'll now activate Ra's most devastating special ability! Open your eyes and let this scene be burned in your mind, pharaoh! Your fate is sealed!"

Yami could only gape as Yami Marik's body began to vanish, along with Marik's soul.

"I'm transferring my life points to Ra's attack points!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "I'm fusing myself with Ra! I'm invincible! All I need to do is keep one single life point." All that remind of his physical body was his right eye, glaring haughtily at Yami across the field. Ra now had 2999 attack points. "I also tribute Jurigato, adding its attack points to Ra's!" Jurigato vanished from the field, and Ra's attack points rose to 4699.

"It's so strong now!" exclaimed Joe. "If Ra attacks Yu-Gi, it's over!"

"It can't be!" gasped Téa.

"I knew I shouldn't have come…" moaned Shayla, inching back slightly.

"Brother…" was all Ishizu said.

"RA! ATTACK!" ordered Yami Marik.

"And I activate Fiend Sanctuary!" exclaimed Yami.

Kaiba's eyes went wide as Yami played the very card he just gave him. _"How did he know!"_

Yami answered his thoughts. "I knew what this card was the moment I touched it. I could feel Kaiba's soul in it. You see, I am linked with all the souls of my friends. You'll never win Marik!"

"_Can this be his miracle?"_ wondered Kaiba.

A star was draw on the field, and a circle around the star. In the very center of the pattern a metallic creature rose. There wasn't much to it. It looked like a short, silver punching dummy.

"What is that?" asked Mokuba.

"That's a Metal Fiend Token," explained Kaiba. "Thanks to my card, Ra will attack the token instead of Yu-Gi's life points."

"What is the meaning of this!" demanded Yami Marik.

"Ra has a new target!" smirked Yami. "Keep your eye on the token!" Yami Marik did, seeing his own reflection in it. "That's Ra's newest target! And you only have one life point left! You'll be destroyed by your own monster!"

"Woah! Awesome!" exclaimed the cheerleaders.

The ball of fire from Ra struck the token, then shot back at Yami Marik. Now, his entire side of the field was engulfed in flames.

"He did it! He won!" exclaimed Téa.

"Good, now I can finally meet that pretty girl in the hospital wing," commented Kevin, which got him hit on the back of the head by Joe.

"I'm impressed," agreed Lara.

"But….Ra…." protested Drake.

"I still have a bad feeling about all of this," murmured Shayla. "Why can I still sense that we're in the shadow realm?"

The smoke cleared and a eerie evil laugh echoed across the playing field.

"What! He survived!" gasped Tristan.

"Unreal!" exclaimed Duke.

Ra was nowhere to be seen, but Yami Marik was still standing. Metal Fiend was on the field as well. But now, Yami Marik had 4700 life points. Yami still had 3300.

"I don't get it! He should have lost!" protested Joe.

"You were a fool to think you could win so easily," Yami Marik smirked at Yami.

"How did you escape!"

"With the very card I got from you! De-Fusion! I freed myself from Ra, thus the attack was negated!" He again laughed.

"_Fiend's Sanctuary isn't just for stopping Ra's attack,"_ thought Kaiba. _"But I wonder if Yu-Gi yet realizes its other use."_

"And now I have more life points than ever before!" finished Yami Marik. "And my weaker half also regains his body—for now."

Good Marik seemed to be waking up now. "Odion…help…" he said, very weakly.

Ishizu gasped, her eyes wavering.

"I'll set one face down card and end my turn," concluded Yami Marik.

"He just sent Ra and Monster Reborn to the graveyard again," commented Joe, bitterly. "But I know he's planning on bringing both of them back again!"

"Yu-Gi needs to figure out a way to be this guy," agreed Tristan. "So far he's only stalling."

"Stop him!" shouted Kevin.

"If you want to keep Fiend's Sanctuary on the field, it will cost you 1000 life points," gloated Yami Marik.

"Yu-Gi…" said Yami, looking up, over his own shoulder. "If I lose life points, I also lose a part of you."

"It doesn't matter what happens to me," said Yu-Gi. "You have to do whatever it takes to beat Marik!"

Yami nodded and drew his next card. "I'm sorry Yu-Gi." His life points dropped to 2300. Yu-Gi screamed as almost half of his body vanished.

Yami Marik laughed. "You consider yourself the one to save mankind? Yet you force little Yu-Gi to suffer just so you can keep a useless card on the field!"

"_Perhaps he has figured out the second function of that card,"_ thought Kaiba, close to being impressed.

"_Thank you Kaiba,"_ Yami thought. _"I knew this card would save me the moment you gave it to me. Our souls are connected, we are friends."_

"I activate Multiply, increasing the number of my Metal Fiend Tokens to three!" shouted Yami.

"_That means he has enough to tribute for Obelisk!"_ thought Yami Marik as the tokens on the field multiplied.

"Now, I tribute them in order to summon Obelisk the Tormentor!" exclaimed Yami.

"_So he did figure it out,"_ thought Kaiba.

Obelisk loomed over the field. Its massive body could hardly fit on Yami's side of the arena. It had 4000 attack points, and looked ready to use every single one of them.

"_I could summon this monster with the help of two very good friends,"_ thought Yami. _"Kaiba and Yu-Gi."_

"He did it! He did it!" exclaimed Tristan, putting Duke in a headlock out of excitement.

"Hey! Calm down!" protested Duke.

"I knew he'd turn this duel around!" said Téa.

"A pretty girl like you is always right," said Kevin, ducking a swing from Lara.

"Hopeless…" she muttered.

"That was a brilliant move," commented Drake. "And I hate to admit it, since Kaiba did have a hand in it…."

"Ha! Look at Marik! He's so freaked out his hair is standing up!" laughed Joe. "Oh, wait, it's always like that!"

"Obelisk! Attack with Fist of Fate!" ordered Yami.

Obelisk pulled its right fist back and slugged Yami Marik directly in the face. Yami Marik was sent flying backwards, to the very edge of the duel platform. His eyes twitched, veins pulsing. His life points dropped to 700.

"Yes! Marik's one attack away from defeat!" cheered Duke.

"Ha! Serves him right!" laughed Lara.

"He doesn't know what hit him! He's in a complete daze!" laughed Joe.

"Like you every day," replied Duke.

"Hey!"

"Better than using a playing piece for an earring," shot Kevin.

"Lay off," muttered Duke.

"Nice one!" exclaimed Joe, high-fiving Kevin.

"Wow! That was totally awesome!" said Mokuba.

"Then why won't my bad feeling go away?" asked Shayla.

"Something's not right," commented Kaiba. "Marik's been controlling this duel too much. Why would he let Yu-Gi get in an attack like that so easily?"

"I agree," said Ishizu. "He likes to toy with his opponent's too much, even the pharaoh is no exception. He must be planning something with his face down cards."

"Impressive," commented Yami Marik, glaring at Yami, his face distorted. "But it will take more than that to defeat me! It's my other self who suffers when I lose life points! You might have hurt me a little, but it's my weaker half who has been hurt the worst!" He gestured to Marik, who was hanging above him. Most of Marik's soul had vanished, leaving only his head and scraps of his body. His eyes were opened slightly, staring blankly at the ground below.

"Marik…" Ishizu again called.

"How ironic!" Yami Marik continued to gloat. "The fool was raised to be your loyal servant and this is how you repay him! The pharaoh's hateful spice can roast a delicious sacrificial offering! So please, take more of my life points and send my weaker side straight into the shadow realm! Either way he's going to be banished there today, so what are you waiting for!"

"How horrible," said Shayla, with a shudder. "It's absolute cowardice, to hide behind a hostage."

She didn't think she had spoken that loudly, but she realized she had when Yami Marik addressed her. "So, the blind girl has found her voice?" he cackled. "What are you going to do about it?" His voice made her blood run cold in her veins. She said nothing. Kaiba's eyes flickered over to her, and he again fought the urge to walk over to her.

"You have to be careful, Yami," called Yu-Gi. "We have to protect Marik's good side. We promised Ishizu."

"I know, but if we lose, the whole world will pay the price," said Yami.

"There has to be a way to save Marik and the world," replied Yu-Gi. "Just like you saved the world 5,000 years ago."

"But if I continue to attack, Marik's good side will disappear. If I don't, you'll be taken by the darkness," replied Yami. "And he plans on killing Marik regardless of if he wins or loses."

"We need to defeat Marik's dark heart. He's the real enemy here," answered Yu-Gi.

"You're right, I just don't know how," said Yami.

"You should feel honored!" shot Yami Marik. "Of all the lives I've destroyed, yours has been the most amusing!"

"He does have a plan!" gasped Ishizu.

"I let you summon Obelisk to trigger a trap I've had in store for you!" laughed Yami Marik.

Beside him, Marik opened his eyes fully. "Odion…."

x-x-x-x-x-

Odion was laying unmoving in Ishizu's bed, just like he had been ever since he had dueled Joe. Marik had concentrated his energy, and appeared beside him in the chair Ishizu always sat in. He was transparent, and a spectator would have been able to see the end table behind him.

"Odion? Can you hear me?" Marik asked. "My dark side is growing stronger as I slip into the shadows. Soon I'll be going to the dark world forever. But before that, there's something I have to tell you. I'm sorry. I betrayed our family and done horrible things. There can be no forgiveness for me, even if I suffer punishment forever. But you've done nothing but protect me since they day I was born. And I repaid you with nothing but anger and disrespect. I wish I could undo it all, but it is too late now. The evil within me if about to prevail—the same evil I created with my own heart…it will now destroy me. You were there the day it was created, the day I received the tombkeeper's initiation and killed my father. And even though it was my dark side that killed him, I still created that darkness out of my hate for my fate and the pharaoh. On that day, you made yourself suffer like I suffered and thus were able to contain my dark side. You shared my pain. You were always loyal to me, even when I betrayed the family and pursued my own selfish goals. Now I understand why you stood by me. You were the only one who could stop my dark side." His soul was beginning to fade from the room, evaporating like it did when Yami Marik lost life points. "You were trying to save me from myself. But when you got hurt, my dark side engulfed me. You don't have to share my pain any more. I'm fading away now. I won't live until tomorrow. I don't know where your soul is wandering, but please keep chasing the light. I'm sorry. Good-bye forever Odion." The last of his presence vanished from the room.

x-x-x-x-x-

"Now, I activate my trap card, which is powerful enough to stop an Egyptian god!" laughed Yami Marik.

"Impossible!" gasped Yami.

"There's no way you have a trap card strong enough to stop Obelisk!" exclaimed Joe.

"That's right," agreed Drake. "God cards are immune to trap cards."

"Ha! But this trap was activated when I lost more than half of my life points!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "Metal Reflect Slime!"

"It's gross!" exclaimed Téa as a sliver blob of goo appeared in front of Yami Marik.

"This card makes a copy of the attacking monster!" gloating Yami Marik.

"A copy…of Obelisk?" asked Kevin.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Joe as the new slime began to take shape.

"Meet Egyptian God Slime!" laughed Yami Marik. The slime solidified, taking on the exact mirror image of Obelisk the Tormentor, save it was silver. Both monsters glared down at each other, ready to prove their own might.

"It's an exact copy!" exclaimed Duke.

"It's only a cheap knock off," muttered Joe. "Marik's slime only has 3000 defense points. Obelisk will blow it away!"

"Marik never would have gone through the trouble to summon it if that was the case, Joe," explained Drake.

"Yu-Gi can still destroy with his next attack, right Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"There's more to Marik's monster than meets the eye. Just watch Mokuba," answered Seto.

"Your carbon copy pales to the original, Marik," glowered Yami. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Yami Marik drew his next card. "Ha! I've got just the card I needed to make Egyptian God Slime even more powerful than Obelisk! Then, Ra will return from the graveyard and reduce you to ashes! The theme of my deck is Immortality! It's designed to bring Ra back again and again! And Egyptian God Slime is no exception!"

"Get on with it!" growled Yami, twitching once.

"Fine then, I summon Revival Jam!" declared Yami Marik. Now, an undistinguishable blob of blue goo appeared in front of him. "You'll remember this monster from my duels with Strings and Mai!"

Yami's eyes narrowed, remembering how effective Revival Jam had been at blocking his attacks against Strings. _"He's planning on using Revival Jam to protect his Egyptian God Slime."_

"Now, I activate Polymerization, fusing my two slimes together!" announced Yami Marik.

"What the!"

Egyptian God Slime pulled Revival Jam into itself, but nothing appearance wise had changed about it.

"It's still the same monster," stated Tristan.

"Something must have changed," replied Duke.

"I end my turn," stated Yami Marik. "Now attack me if you dare!"

Yami considered his options for a moment. "I set Big Shield Guardna in defense mode! Now, Obelisk, attack!" Obelisk once more raised a monstrous fist and slammed Egyptian God Slime, covering the field with broken bits of goo.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, but Shayla spoke first, "It's going to reform, isn't it?"

"Some all-powerful monster—Huh!" exclaimed Yami. The bits of slime were sliding together, recreating Yami Marik's monster.

"Hahahaha! It gained Revival Jams ability to reform after every attack!" laughed Yami Marik.

"You mean it can't be destroyed!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Everyone monster can be destroyed, it's just a matter of finding out how," answered Lara.

"Yeah," agreed Joe. "And I know Yug will find a way to take that giant slimeball down—and beat that cheap copy of Obelisk too."

"This has been my plan from the beginning pharaoh!" taunted Yami Marik. "Now, thanks to my invincible monster, my life points cannot be harmed!"

"I end my turn," said Yami, tonelessly.

"It's all over!" continued Yami Marik. "All you can do is wait for the revival of Ra and your ultimate destruction! And even if you try to attack, it will be my other half that pays the price! No matter what you do, he'll die at the end of this duel! But you can save me the trouble and banish him to the shadow realm yourself!"

"_He's hiding behind his slime until he can get Monster Reborn back into his hand,"_ thought Yami. _"Then he'll raise Ra and destroy Obelisk. But even if I could get rid of his Egyptian God Slime, I can't attack him or good Marik will be destroyed. What can I do?"_

"_He has to defeat my dark side at any cost,"_ thought Marik, who was slowly regaining more of his sense, though his soul had suffered great loss. _"There's no reason for him to worry. I can't be saved. All I can do is wait for the darkness to consume me. That is my fate."_

"I set one card face down and summon Bogadian in defense mode," said Yami Marik. Bogadian has 1000 defense points. "Just for begin on the field, you'll lose 300 life points each turn!"

"Yu-Gi…" said Yami.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" insisted Yu-Gi.

"My turn," stated Yami with a nod. _"I have to destroy Bogadian this turn or else my aibou will suffer!"_

"…That card is Jam Defender, isn't it?" groaned Shayla.

"Hmm?" asked Kaiba, turning his attention slightly away from the duel.

"That card Marik played, it has to be Jam Defender," she repeated.

Kaiba didn't verbally reply. _"She's very strategic. I think she figured out Marik's plan before Yu-Gi did. It would be interesting to see how she would do in the finals. I rather would have her last that long in my tournament instead of the mutt."_ Once more, something intruded on his thoughts. _"Go talk to her now, you've got nothing to lose. There's nothing hold you back."_ He shook his head slightly. _"Get out of my head,"_ he growled at those thoughts.

"I tribute Big Shield Guardna for my Dark Magician Girl!" announced Yami. His warrior monster was replaced with the feminine spellcaster who had more fanboys than this authoress cares to count. Dark Magician Girl appeared with a flurry of bubbles, waving her staff playfully. She had 2000 attack points.

"Dark Magician Girl attack his Bogadian now!" ordered Yami.

Dark Magician Girl smiled and nodded, blasting Bogadian with her staff.

"Reveal face down card, Jam Defender!" declared Yami Marik.

"I am really starting to hate being right…" muttered Shayla.

Egyptian God Slime took the attack, splattered across the field again, and reformed totally unscratched a moment later.

"This comes with a price this time pharaoh!" taunted Yami Marik. "Every time Egyptian God Slime prevents one of your attacks, you lose 1000 life points!"

"Oh no!" cried Yami, glancing back at Yu-Gi, who was again crying out in pain as his soul vanished.

"Don't forget Bogadian's special effect!" added Yami Marik.

"Yu-Gi…Aibou…" said Yami, his life points stopping at 1000.

"Are you okay?" asked Yu-Gi.

"It's you I'm worried about," said Yami.

"I'm fine for now," Yu-Gi continued to insist.

"_But for how long?"_ wondered Yami.

"The shadows are feasting on his flesh right now!" gloated Yami Marik. "Lose a few more life points and little Yu-Gi will be gone forever, then the whole world will tremble before me! The power of the gods and the power of the pharaoh do not scare me! All you can do is bow down and lick my boots!"

"Don't listen to that freak!" exclaimed Téa.

"You can beat him! We've seen you do it again and again!" added Joe.

"No monster is all-powerful, take my word on it," said Drake.

"At least you've stopped about Ra and Slifer," sighed Lara. Drake smiled sheepishly.

There was a sudden shift in the flow of power through the Millennial Items. Those connected to it could all sense it. Téa's eyes glazed over, her mind unconscious. Marik had taken control of her again.

"Pharaoh, there's not much time," he said, weakly.

"Huh? Téa?" asked Joe. He began to shake her. "Snap out of it!"

"Téa? What's wrong?" asked Kevin.

Drake and Lara shared a knowing look.

"Pharaoh, you must destroy my dark side and let the shadows take me," insisted Marik.

"How pathetic, you're using a woman's body," glowered Yami Marik.

"I always resented my life, guarding your tomb. I blamed you for everything, including my father's death. But now I know that's not true," continued Marik through Téa's lips. He pushed Joe aside. "He was created because of my anger and hatred! Now he must be destroyed, and I will be destroyed with him."

"Earth to Téa," said Joe, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Er, Joe, I don't think it's going to work," said Duke.

"Téa's…actually being controlled by Marik?" said Tristan, slowly. "Okay, we have reached the height of weirdness!"

Ishizu started running to him, her feet moving before her mind realized they were. Her heart was reaching out desperately for her brother. "Marik! Don't!"

"Sister?"

"Please, don't throw your life away to stop him," she pleaded.

"There is no other way. Pharaoh! You must take down the evil force controlling my body! If that means destroying me, so be it. This is the final test. Destroy my evil heart."

"Ha! It's useless! There's no way I can lose!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "Now watch as I prove it! I play Mining for Magical Stones! By discarding two cards in my hand, I can move one magic card from my graveyard to my hand! And I chose Monster Reborn."

"Not again!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Next turn, Ra shall return and end your miserable existence!"

"We knew it," said Yu-Gi. "But Ra is almost impossible to destroy.

"We have one chance," said Yami. "But it's not going to be easy."

"You're done for pharaoh!" shouted Yami Marik.

"I'll find a way to beat you!" insisted Yami. _"But I don't know how. As long as his Egyptian God Slime is on the field, I can't attack any of his monsters. But the real problem is finding a way to win without destroying Marik's good soul."_

"I set this card face down, then I summon Swallowtail Spike Lizard in defense mode," said Yami Marik. This monster only had 700 defense points. "For each turn it is on the field, I gain 1000 life points. That way, I can give my life points to Ra when it comes back!"

"Gosh! He has everything planned!" exclaimed Tristan.

"And Yu-Gi can't destroy it because of the slime," said Drake, his mind already thinking through potential strategies.

"You have to win this before he can get Ra on the field!" exclaimed Duke.

"But if he does, Marik will be sent to the shadows forever," reminded Lara.

"This is all my fault…" lamented Marik, still in Téa's body.

"No, Marik," insisted Ishizu, but her brother cut her off.

"No, they're right. After all I've done, they have a right to be angry with me."

"Will you get out of Téa's head already so Yu-Gi can kick your butt!" demanded Joe.

"I need to convince him to attack, and I could only do that through Téa's body," explained Marik. His mouth had already vanished above Yami Marik's shoulder. Nonetheless, Marik gave up his control on Téa. She blinked a few times.

"What was I saying?" she asked. No one felt the need to fill her in.

"It's your turn," said Yami Marik, impatiently.

"_Why is he hesitating to attack?" _wonder Marik. _"How come he won't destroy me? After all I've done to them…I've controlled countless people, pitting them against the pharaoh and his friends. I've kidnapped their friends and family and forced them to duel each other. Before, I would never have hesitated to kill any of them. Why won't they treat me the same way now, especially since it's the only way? How can he forgive me?"_

_/Yami, I have an idea/_ said Yu-Gi.

_/What is it, aibou/_

_/Remember how Marik fused with Ra? I'm sure he's planning on doing that again. When he does, he'll have all the weakness of that monster. Since his dark heart is our real enemy, that will be our chance to save Marik's good soul./_

_/Thank you for reminding me, Yu-Gi/_ said Yami. _/Ra is strong, but not invincible. We will use that moment for our advantage./_

"I set these two cards," said Yami, starting his turn. "Then I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode and end my turn." His monster had 1200 defense points.

"Don't forget, Bogadian will take 300 life points from you! And Swallowtail Spike Lizard gives me 1000 life points." laughed Yami Marik as his monsters' special abilities activated. Yami's life points dropped to 700, while his rose to 1700. Yu-Gi again gasped in pain as his body continued to vanish, leaving some of his face and tiny pieces of the rest of him.

"Yu-Gi! I promise I won't let you slip away!" exclaimed Yami.

"You must…defeat his dark heart," reminded Yu-Gi.

"It doesn't matter! This turn will be the last!" gloated Yami Marik.

"He's starting to sound like a broken record with that line," groaned Lara.

"But Ra will be coming back, right?" asked Drake, trying not to look eager. Everyone who heard him sweat-dropped.

"_Marik's plan has been quite obvious,"_ thought Kaiba. _"Had Yu-Gi yet figured out how to seal away Ra?"_

"It won't be the last turn! You can't give up!" insisted Téa.

"Yeah! We believe in you bud!" added Joe.

"It does look sort of hopeless," muttered Duke.

"Take that back, dice-boy!" shot Tristan. Duke merely shrugged.

Yami Marik laughed when he saw what card he drew. "I'll send what's left of Yu-Gi to the shadow realm with this card! He'll be my sacrifice to darkness! But now, Ra returns! I play Monster Reborn!" Once more, the Winged Dragon of Ra appeared in an inferno of glory.

"Please…no…" said Shayla. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Kaiba glanced over at her again. Once more, that little voice jumped to the front of his mind. _"She's all alone, Ishizu is on the other side of the field. Go over to her and comfort her. She needs you."_ Kaiba gritted his teeth. This voice always seemed to nag him at the worst times. _"Go away!"_

"Now, I have enough life points to activate Ra's special ability. By giving up 1000 of my life points, I'll destroy all your monsters, including Obelisk!" gloated Yami Marik, his life points dropping back to 700. Marik's soul faded again, the parts he had regained only moments ago lost again.

"I counted on that!" exclaimed Yami, activating a card on his disk.

His side of the field was covered in a blinding smoke again. Yami Marik was continuing his laughing. "Now, you're wide open for an attack, pharaoh!"

"Look again, Marik!" said Yami, from the fog.

It cleared enough for Yami Marik to see what he had done. Obelisk was still standing and so was Dark Magician Girl, not even scratched. Worse for Yami Marik, Slifer was standing in front of both of them, shielding them.

"I activated my own Monster Reborn, bringing Slifer back from the graveyard!" announced Yami. "He shielded my monsters from your attack!"

"Awesome!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Marik bragged too much, Yami has his entire strategy figured out," smirked Drake. "And both Slifer and Ra are on the field again!"

"He totally faked Marik out!" laughed Joe.

"Ra will be in the graveyard soon, that means Yu-Gi still can win this!" said Duke.

"I'll have to admit, I am impressed," said Kaiba. "He used Slifer as a shield and Obelisk as a sword to beat Ra."

Slifer crumbled to ashes and was returned to the graveyard. Obelisk bellowed with fury. On the other side of the field, Ra folded its wings, the fire extinguishing. It went back into the graveyard as well.

"Slifer was hit by Ra, but Obelisk wasn't hurt at all," commented Mokuba. "I wonder what Yu-Gi will do now?"

"Just watch Mokuba," said Kaiba. "Obelisk is mad. Let's see if Yu-Gi knows the true power of Obelisk's anger."

"I activate Surprise Attack from Beyond!" exclaimed Yami Marik.

"Good Lord!" exclaimed Drake. "He's got just about every ultra rare card dad made!"

"So…what does it do?" asked Duke.

Drake tried to repress a smile. "It means we get to see Ra again!"

"This card let's me replay my last attack!" declared Yami Marik.

"Cheap move!" accused Joe.

"Ra really is a broken record in this duel…" groaned Tristan.

Ra formed on the field again. But this time, it had wrapped itself into a golden sphere, like it had done when Mai tried to summon it.

"Huh? Now what!" exclaimed Joe.

"What is Marik planning this time!" groaned Tristan.

"Ra isn't ready to fight yet," smirked Yami Marik. "Now, which form shall it take? So many to choose from, so many ways to destroy you, pharaoh. I know!" With that, he began to chant, unlocking Ra. It took its dragon-beast form. Yami Marik was already fusing himself with it.

"He's fusing again!" exclaimed Lara.

"I'm jealous," stated Drake.

"I like you better with both eyes," teased Lara. Her flirting caused Drake to pull his eyes off of Ra so that he could lower his head to hide the scarlet color that suddenly flamed up his cheeks.

Once more, Yami Marik had left one life point, leaving his one eye to watch the duel. Marik had all but vanished, save a tiny portion of the right corner of his head. Ra now had 699 attack points.

"This is our chance," reminded Yu-Gi.

"Yes, now we must save the world from evil," agreed Yami. "I activate Soul Taker!"

"But it would only last for one turn on Ra," said Shayla. She rubbed her head. "But by that time Monster Reborn's effect would be up too… So…how would that work?"

"What do you mean, Shayla?" asked Mokuba.

"Soul Taker gives Marik 1000 life points, but allows Yu-Gi to sacrifice one of his monsters," explained Kaiba. "So, since Marik is fused with Ra, if it is destroyed, so is he."

"_With a few life points left, my brother's true soul will be spared!"_ thought Ishizu, hopefully.

"And I choose your Egyptian God Slime!" announced Yami. "By tributing two monsters, I can activate Obelisk's special ability; Soul Energy Max! And Egyptian God Slime is made up of two monsters!"

"_So, he does understand Obelisk's anger,"_ thought Kaiba. _"With this special ability, Obelisk has an infinite number of attack points."_

"You'll never take down Ra!" snapped Yami Marik.

"Too late!" smirked Yami. "Obelisk attack!"

"I'll tribute the 1000 life points you gave me, plus Bogadian and Swallowtail Spike Lizard to raise Ra's attack points to 4899!" declared Yami Marik.

"_Why is he raising Ra's attack points when Obelisk's are infinite?"_ wondered Kaiba.

"What are you thinking!" taunted Joe. "Has that third eye on your forehead fried your brain? You can't beat Yu-Gi!"

"Nice one, bro!" exclaimed Kevin, offering his hand for a high-five from Joe, who accepted.

Obelisk aimed a thunderous punch at Ra at the same moment Ra began to spew fire. The entire field was covered with the energy from the two attacks. No one could see anything, though they were trying.

"Oh gosh, no. I don't like the feeling of this at all," moaned Shayla, clasping her hands tightly together, placing them just below her chin. _"Please Lord, don't let anyone get hurt."_

Since he couldn't watch the duel Seto felt his blue eyes drifting over to her again. _"Look at her, she needs you. She's alone now. You know you like her. Why won't you tell her? There's nothing hold you back." _Kaiba's eyes narrowed at his own thoughts. _"Not now! Just leave me alone. If I want to talk to her, I will. But not now!"_

The smoke veil lifted. Ra still stood, with Yami Marik fused to it. Obelisk's attack points had reverted to 4000.

"No way! That's absolutely impossible!" exclaimed Yu-Gi's friends.

"Ha! I activated the magic card, Class System!" gloated Yami Marik. "Now, Ra can only be destroyed by a monster with more stars than it!"

"What has more stars than a god monster!" exclaimed Duke.

"Marik's had every aspect of this duel under his thumb!" exclaimed Lara.

"I don't think I can take any more of this! Cream him already Yu-Gi!" shouted Tristan.

"It looks like Yu-Gi missed his chance," remarked Kaiba, off-handedly.

"Our turn! Attack Ra!" ordered Yami Marik.

"It's my turn as well, to activate a magic card!" said Yami. "I activate Magical Dimension! I need a spellcaster to activate it. By tributing two monsters, I can avoid your attack! So I tribute Obelisk and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, leaving my Dark Magician Girl!"

"He tributed Obelisk!" exclaimed Kevin in disbelief.

"You are a fool to sacrifice Obelisk!" taunted Yami Marik. "Without your god monster, you have nothing left!"

"I have plenty left!" retorted Yami. "I have the strength of my friends to rely on, and the heart of the cards to guide me!" A golden casket appeared in front of him. "Magical Dimension also allows me to summon a spellcaster from my hand, and I've chosen my Dark Magician!" His favorite monster appeared next to its female counterpart. Dark Magician had 2500 attack points.

(AN/ Welcome to page 300 of Shayla's Story 3! Thanks for making it this far!)

"Two magicians against Ra?" asked Duke.

"I'm sure Yu-Gi has a plan," said Téa.

"Now, I activate Ragnarok!" declared Yami. "This card can only be used when I have two spellcasters on the field. It will destroy all monsters on your side of the field, even the Winged Dragon of Ra! And since you are fused with it, you will be destroyed as well!"

"Then go ahead and attack, pharaoh!" taunted Yami Marik. "But with only one life point, my weaker side will be destroyed as well!"

Yami hesitated.

"MARIK!" shouted a new voice. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned and looked. Odion was stepped off of the elevator, breathing slightly hard. He had woken up and struggled to make it to his adopted brother's side.

Marik blinked a few times, focusing on the new comer. _"I know that voice… Odion!"_

"Odion!" gasped Ishizu, softly.

"Don't give up Master Marik! There is still time!" called Odion. _"You are wrong to think you have to die. I will never forgive myself if something happens to you!"_

"Ha! This is the point of no return!" retorted Yami Marik.

Odion took a shaking step forward, trying to get closer to Marik. Shayla backed out of the way, to give him room.

"We were doing just fine without you," retorted Yami Marik. "But if you want to stay a moment longer, you can watch my triumph over the pharaoh and the death of my weaker side! Hahahaha!"

Odion stumbled again, almost falling. On the other side of the field, Joe was ready to run to him and help him. But Ishizu placed her hand in his way, holding him back.

"What gives!" demanded Joe.

"It is Odion's dream. And he is the only one who can save Marik. Let him go," she answered, though it pained her not to do anything.

"Release my master now!" demanded Odion to Yami Marik.

"You're too late!" Yami Marik shouted down from on top of Ra's forehead. "I control his body now and the shadow realm devours his soul! The Marik you knew is like a candle in the wind, with no will to live! If this duel doesn't kill him, then I will!"

"That's not true! I am here to see that Marik's gentle spirit prevails!" snapped Odion.

"That's enough!" shouted Yami Marik, raising the Millennial Rod. The invisible force from the rod threw Odion into the railing around the edge of the duel tower, leaving a human-shaped dent in it.

"Master Marik! You must fight your evil side! We beat him before, and I know we can do it again!" pleaded Odion. He struggled to his feet. "You must not seal yourself in darkness!"

"GRR!" growled Yami Marik, again raised the rod to blast Odion.

"Shayla!" exclaimed Seto. His body reacted before he knew it. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her close to himself, out of the way of Yami Marik's newest attack. Odion was once again embedded in the railing.

Both were breathing slightly hard from the sudden movement. Kaiba realized how close she was to him. Surprise at his action almost caused him to push her away, more repulsed at himself than her. And again, the same voice was nagging at him. But he ignored both of these. Instead, he helped her stand up straighter. "Be careful. This duel is getting dangerous," he said, hiding behind an ice cold tone.

Shayla took a moment to gather her thoughts, trying to figure out what had happened. She was no less than surprised by Kaiba's actions. But his two tones also puzzled her. Added to that, she was getting flustered with herself for trying to figure him out again. She could feel the blood pulsing around her cheeks.

"_Oh my gosh am I blushing!"_ she thought in disbelief.

"Struggling against darkness is not just the fate of a tombkeeper," continued Odion, his eyes focused on Marik, ignoring Yami Marik.

"Odion…" said Ishizu, no longer able to control her own heart. She had ran to his side.

"I'm fine," Odion said to her, before addressing Marik again. "Master! You have the power to beat your dark side! You created him, you can destroy him!"

"That does it!" growled Yami Marik. "I'll seal you both in the shadows!" He raised the rod for the final blow.

"_Odion is right! I must save my family!"_ thought Marik, vanishing from the bonds.

"GAH!" screamed Yami Marik, clutching at the hole where is right eye would have been, if he hadn't have left it down on the field. Marik could now be seen in that hole. The rod fell to the ground.

"Fight with all your heart!" called Odion. "We don't live because of hope, but we have hope because we live!"

"I've come to far to be stopped now!" exclaimed Yami Marik. "I am Marik now! I won't be overpowered by the likes of you!"

"Freak show just got freakier," commented Kevin.

"I'm seeing this, and I'm still having a hard time believing this," agreed Joe.

"I just hope it means Yu-Gi can win this!" said Téa.

"_How can he have so much strength now!"_ thought Yami Marik, desperately.

"Pharaoh! Attack now!" Marik cried out.

"But…"

"You must! I can't hold on much longer, and I need your help to stop my dark side! I'm sorry for everything I've done to you and your friends. I am ready to take responsibility for everything I have done wrong!"

"Give it up!" growled Yami Marik, fighting for control.

"It's too risky," said Yami. "We might destroy good Marik."

"He's put everything into this attack," called Yu-Gi. "I can feel his determination. We must trust him!"

"Okay," agreed Yami. "I'll finish my turn with Ragnarok. By removing every monster in my hand, deck, and graveyard from play I can destroy all of your monsters!"

The clouds of the shadow realm turned yellow. The spirits of every single monster Yami removed from play floating up. They circled around the field and the spectators before grabbing onto the Winged Dragon of Ra. Obelisk and Slifer put Ra into a deadlock.

"Woah! Amazing!" exclaimed the gang.

"I've never seen anything like it!" said Mokuba.

"It's only doing what I programmed the holograms to do," shrugged Kaiba, apathetically.

"Let me go!" shouted Yami Marik. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl fired a Double Dark Magic Attack directly at his face, shutting him up. All of Yami's monsters began to life Yami Marik into the sky. From high above the field there was a huge explosion of light. The golden aura on the clouds of the shadow realm vanished. Yami Marik's side of the field was once more shrouded in fog.

"He got rid of Ra!" exclaimed Téa.

"Finally!" added Duke.

"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" exclaimed Joe.

"I feel sorry for Ra," said Drake. "It's not the dragon's fault he was used for evil."

"You are completely hopeless!" snapped Lara.

"Still, Ra is gone for good!" cheered Tristan.

"Does that mean Yu-Gi won?" asked Mokuba.

"Not yet," said Kaiba. "Marik still has one life point left."

"Destroying the Winged Dragon of Ra should have destroyed Marik's dark soul as well," Yami said to Yu-Gi.

"What about his good side?" asked Yu-Gi.

"We'll have to see…" said Yami.

The smoke cleared. Marik, good Marik, staggered, trying to find his footing. One hand clutched his chest tightly. His dark side was gone.

"It's over," Yami said.

"Is that the real Marik?" asked Tristan.

"Well, his hair is normal," said Joe.

"I know my master," said Odion with a smile.

"Pharaoh, there is still one more task we must do," said good Marik, straightening up. "I still have one life point left." That one life point manifested itself as Yami Marik's eye, now being bound beside Marik, where Marik had been held prisoner by his dark side. The tables had been reversed.

"W-we can work together!" Yami Marik protested. "We can still beat him! He only has two monsters left!"

"I'll bury you with my own hands!" snapped Marik. "I am sorry pharaoh. It was my duty to help you and instead I turned my back. I can't change the past, but I can start over! I am proud to be a tombkeeper, and I am proud of my brother and sister."

"T-thank you," said Odion, trying not to get teary eyed.

"Now it is time to fulfill my destiny by helping you fulfill yours," said Marik. "The secret to unlocking your true powers is written on my back. But first, you need all three Egyptian god cards. You must win this duel to have them all." He placed his hand over his deck, the sign of surrender. "I surrender this duel to honor my family's name." His dark side's remaining eye twisted and vanished forever. The duel over, the clouds of the shadow realm evaporated as well.

"_My tournament ended in a surrender!"_ thought Kaiba with a throb mark appearing.

The bonds holding Yu-Gi vanished and he dropped to the ground, now back in joint control of his own body.

_/Aibou! You're okay/_

"Thank you my pharaoh," said Ishizu.

"No, thank all of you. I never could have done it without all of your help," replied Yami.

"The winner of Battle City is Yu-Gi Motou!" announced Rollin.

"That last move was totally awesome!" said Joe, hopping onto the duel platform and joining his best friend.

"It happened because I have faithful monsters and faithful friends," said Yami, giving Joe a high-five. _"And because Marik won the battle in his heart."_

Marik walked halfway across the field, where he was joined by his family. "Sister…I'm sorr—."

She cut him off. "All that matters is you're free now. You've fulfilled your destiny."

"Can we start over and make a new life for ourselves?" asked Marik. "Can we cast off the chains of darkness and live in the light?"

"Yes," answered Ishizu. "It's time for us as a family to start living with the rest of mankind." This time, Odion could not hold back the tears at being called part of the family.

Kaiba stepped onto the platform. With gritted teeth he said, "Yu-Gi, you've won the title of Battle City Duel King. As the host of this tournament, I praise you for this proud honor."

Yami smiled at him. _"If Kaiba hadn't given me Fiend's Sanctuary, I never would have won."_

"Hey! Don't forget!" called Mokuba, joining his older brother. "The winner gets his opponent's rarest card!"

"You are going to need it very soon, pharaoh," said Ishizu.

"Here, take the Winged Dragon of Ra," said Marik, handing it to Yami.

"Thank you," replied Yami. _"Now that I have all three god cards, what do I do with them?"_

"I have one more task to complete as a tombkeeper," said Marik. He took of his shirt and turned around, allowing Yami to see the images engraved on his back. "This is the secret to your power."

"We had been taught when the pharaoh saved the world he gave up his own soul, his own name, and his own memories," explained Ishizu. "Our family had been entrusted with the secret on how the pharaoh can regain those memories when he returned. But it takes the words, the Millennial Puzzle, and the three god cards to unlock those memories."

"Can you read that Yug?" asked Joe, skeptically.

"I can try," said Yami. _"But how does it all tie together? …Wait! That tablet at the museum!"_

"My mission is complete," said Marik. "Please, take the Millennial Rod and the Millennial Ring. I have no claim on them any more."

"Thank you Marik," said Yami, accpeting them.

"Does this mean that cute girl in the hospital wing will be awake now?" asked Kevin.

"Cool it!" snapped Joe.

"Mai…" said Shayla. She was already hurrying to an elevator.

"_She's leaving…"_ whispered that voice in Kaiba's ear, almost impatiently. Kaiba turned and watched as the elevator door closed. _"What? How could she leave before I could talk to her!"_ He could almost hear that little voice letting out an exasperated sigh in his ear.

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"Mai! Mai!" exclaimed Shayla, running into the hospital wing.

"Hey kid," came Mai's voice. "I've been wondering where everyone has been."

"Mai!" exclaimed Shayla, embracing her before she was aware she was. "I've been so worried!"

"I'm so happy! She woke up!" exclaimed Serenity. "I knew Yu-Gi would win!"

"I feel like I've been asleep forever, what have I missed?" asked Mai.

"The tournament just ended, and Yu-Gi won," said Shayla. "But I was so worried about you. I felt so bad because I couldn't do anything to help, but I tried."

"My brother was really worried about you too," said Serenity. "He vowed to beat Marik and everything to save you…Of course, he lost…."

"Joe was worried about me?" asked Mai, ears perked.

"He wouldn't stop talking about saving you," answered Serenity.

"That's true," agreed Shayla. "He was totally single-minded about it."

"Oh really?" smiled Mai. Footsteps could be heard running down the hall. "Pretend I haven't woken up!" With that she laid back down and closed her eyes.

"Oh!" exclaimed Serenity, repressing a giggle.

"But I can't lie!" protested Shayla.

"Just play along," hissed Mai.

"Er…" stammered Shayla. Serenity had taken a somber pose and was looking down at her hands. Shayla's mind went almost totally blank about her options, so she turned her back to the door.

"Mai!" exclaimed Joe, the first one through the door.

"She's still not up yet…" lied Serenity, softly.

"Oh no! Mai!" called Joe, bending down beside her. The others gathered around the bed. "Please wake up!"

"Yu-Gi won the duel! She should be okay," said Tristan.

"Were we too late?" asked Lara.

"No we're not!" exclaimed Joe. "Come on Mai! Wake up! You're supposed to be okay!" He buried his face in her sheets. Serenity had hid her face in her hands, seemingly sobbing. Shayla, too, her back to the group appeared to be crying. "I'd do anything to get you back!"

Mai opened one eye, unable to control herself any more and started giggling. Serenity and Shayla also gave in, revealing that they had been laughing as well.

"Did you say you'd do anything to get me to wake up?" asked Mai, sweetly. "Cause there's some cards in your deck I've had my eye on."

Joe was so flummuxed he couldn't even raise his head.

"Hehehe, I knew they were faking it," sweat-dropped Téa.

"That's not funny!" protested Duke.

"We couldn't resist," giggled Serenity. "Besides, your expressions were priceless."

"You did a good job Serenity," said Mai with a wink.

"Hello, my name is Kevin Hunter, and it's a true pleasure to meet someone who must be related to Aphrodite," said Kevin, slipping forward.

Mai blinked blankly.

"Okay! That does it!" exclaimed Joe, jumping up and chasing Kevin around the room.

"I told you he was really worried about you," said Shayla.

"I know," replied Mai with a smile. "And I'm glad you told me."

"It's good to see you well again," said Lara.

"Thanks…Lara! Since when did you and Drake get here?" asked Mai.

"Long story," answered Drake.

Joe and Kevin both stopped in mid-lap. "I smell food!" Their rounds around the room turned into a race to the kitchen.

"Are they for real?" asked Téa, sweat-dropping.

"Sometimes, I wonder," answered Duke.

"Hey! Wait for me!" protested Tristan, running after them, causing another round of massive sweatdrops.

"I guess we need to go keep an eye on them," suggested Yugi.

"Right," agreed Drake.

They followed the sneaker streaks down the hallway into the kitchen. There, Joe, Kevin, and Tristan had stopped in the doorway. Bakura was sitting Indian style in front of the fridge, several boxes of food around him.

"Bakura!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Did you leave anything for us?" asked Joe.

"Well, if you want donuts, they're all gone," answered Bakura.

"But what are you doing in here?" asked Duke.

"I just remember waking up and being really hungry," answered Bakura, taking a bite of a banana.

"Well, it's awesome you're feeling better!" exclaimed Yugi, hurrying to him.

"Thanks Yugi," replied Bakura.

"What is going on in here?" demanded a low voice from the door.

"Oh great, moneybags," grumbled Joe.

Kaiba glowered down at them.

"Who do you think made you boss!" demanded Kevin.

"This is my airship, mouse," he shot.

"Hey! Don't call me a mouse!" protested Kevin.

"Lighten up, rich-boy," said Joe. "Everything is finally back to normal."

"He's just bitter about losing," said Lara.

"No one asked your opinion," snapped Kaiba.

"Seto…" said Mokuba, softly, a bit taken back by his older brother's outburst.

"Hey! No one talks to Lara that way!" exclaimed Drake, stepping up to Kaiba. "In fact, you still owe me a duel after keeping me out of this tournament!"

"Hey, Drake! I've had dibs on moneybags!" protested Joe. He turned and glared at Kaiba. "After all the trash you've talked about my dueling skills, I think its time I duel you and defend my rep!"

"Woah! I also have dibs to!" protested Kevin.

"I don't have time to waste on wanna-bes like you," shot Kaiba, who had only come here looking for Shayla.

"Wanna-be!" exclaimed Drake. "My dragons are tougher than anything you have!"

"I think he's just scared," said Joe.

"Men!" exclaimed Shayla, turning and leaving. She started muttering under her breath. "It's been one nightmare duel here after another, and yet they still want to duel? Men!"

The rest present merely looked on, not willing to get involved and make the fight any worse.

"_Great! These idiots chased her away!"_ thought Kaiba.

"Kaiba, I challenge you to a duel," stated Drake. "And I know you don't back away from a challenge!"

"Nah-uh Drake!" said Joe. "I've been waiting longer, if Kaiba's going to duel anyone, it's going to be me!"

"Hey! I want to duel him too!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Feh, it would be a waste of my time to duel all of you," shot Kaiba. "You pose no threat to me. I'll duel you all at once and get it over with."

52


	17. Grudge

Lady Akhana: Hi everyone! It's been a while.

Moonlady: Too long if you ask me…

E-100 Alpha: And the hostage?

Pharaoh Light: Under lock and key and mustard radar.

Pharaoh Dark: There's no way that Nightmare Penguin will squawk his way out of this one!

Gema J. Gall: Awesome! ; Now it's good news, bad news time.

Diamondlance: Oh, great…

Gema: What do you want first?

Phantom 1: Bad new, please.

Dark Fox: Hey, where's Demon Child? I haven't seen him around, and I've been dying to show him my new summons.

Gema: That's where the bad news comes in…

Fox Demon: What happened to Demon Child!

Gema: He turned traitor on us.

All: WHAT!

Star: I've got the stats to verify it. He's joined the other side. And he's taken Blackbelt Timmy with him.

Bakurakrazie: No! This can't be happening!

Seadragon1012: We need to be on the alert then! Those two will lead the penguins straight here!

Imp is Insane: We need to clear out and find another base before they get here!

Livi: We need more mustard!

Cloud Dragon: Calm down, Gema did say she had good news too.

Demon of Shadows: That's right…make it quick.

Gema: We have two new members as well! Meet YamiUmiRyu and MogMatt.

YamiUmiRyu: Hello, I'm YUR for short. I'm a zodiac expert, and a Pisces. I also am a Yami Marik fangirl!

All: o.0

MogMatt: Name's MogMatt. I've been working on rallying an underground coalition to fight the penguins.

Master of Dimensions: It's nice to meet you. Sorry it's chaos in here right now.

Alpha: When isn't it chaos?

Kitty Tigri: Good point.

Lady Akhana: The penguins aren't going to defeat themselves! We need to get to work!

Moonlady: That's right, and we need to get our hostage—er, prisoner out ASAP!

Phantom 1: Anyone have any idea where we're going to go?

Diamondlance: Wing it.

Master of Dimensions: Let's get to work then! Everyone get your mustard and be on guard!

Gema: Move out!

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Grudge

The group had filed outside. They took their place amid the heaps of scrap metal that covered Kaiba Corp. Island. Kaiba was on the left hand side of the makeshift field. Mokuba was just behind him, looking worried. His brother's attitude had taken a turn for the worse, and Mokuba didn't know what to do to make him smile again. Across from him stood Drake, Kevin, and Joe. Beside them on the field were Téa, Yu-Gi, Tristan, Lara, Mai, Duke, Serenity, and Bakura. During the trip out they had been trying their best to fill in Mai and Bakura about what they had missed while they had been unconscious.

"Wow, that's really hard to believe," commented Bakura.

"It all happened though," said Téa.

"Guys, the duel is about to start," said Tristan, bringing their attention back to the present.

"I just hope this duel is enough to keep them away from each other's throats," said Lara.

"I think Kaiba's in over his head," stated Duke. "I hope Joe and the others win this so we don't have to deal with his ego the entire way back."

"I'm just glad Joe is finally getting a chance to prove himself against Kaiba," said Yu-Gi. "And now we get to cheer him on to victory!"

"I know I'm looking forward to this," agreed Mai.

"Let's get this over with, you three losers have wasted enough of my time already," grumbled Kaiba, drawing his first hand.

"Cut the crap Kaiba! It's time I put you in your place!" snapped Joe. "And you don't have Obelisk the Tormentor to hide behind any more!"

"You made a big mistake by letting us all duel together," said Drake. "It's only a pity I can't claim total victory here."

"Right! You'll never beat our teamwork!" agreed Kevin. He turned to Joe. "I'm glad we're dueling together."

"Same here bro."

"Save the speeches, I've heard them all before. And I don't need a god card to defeat hax duelists like you," glowered Kaiba. "I'll show you how pathetic your teamwork is when I dismantle it."

"You're going to be in for a rude wake up call when your life points hit 0 first!" snapped Joe.

"If you're done with your petty insults, I'm starting this duel," said Kaiba, coldly as he drew a card. _"I'll make them pay for insulting me, and for driving away Shayla. I just wish she could be here to see me run them into the ground."_

"Joe will win this, right?" asked Serenity.

"All of them are very good duelists," answered Duke.

"It's in the bag for Joe, Drake, and Kevin though. They've got Kaiba outnumbered," said Tristan.

"Yeah. But Kaiba's used to be the Duel Monster's champion," Mai pointed out.

"Drake's run simulations back home," interrupted Lara. "Drake alone has a fifty percent chance of beating Kaiba, and with two other duelists, Kaiba definitely has the disadvantage."

Kaiba laughed. "I've got the perfect opening hand. First, I play Card of Demise. This lets me draw five cards, but I have to discard my entire hand in five turns. Then, I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode!" A spellcaster appeared in front of him. Its helmet resembled the jaw of a dragon. It wore skintight black armor that was designed to look like the rest of the dragon's skeleton. Its stats were 1200 and 1100.

"I'm not impressed," snorted Kevin.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he continued. "Then I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon. This lets me select two dragons and summon them to the field, and—."

"Oh boy, here comes the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon already," groaned Joe.

"I have something far more devastating in mind, mutt," snapped Kaiba. "I summon Luster Dragon and Thunder Dragon!" The first monster was actually Luster Dragon #2. It had beautiful, crystalline emerald green scales. It was marvelous. The sun sparkled off of it, almost like a natural spotlight. It had 2400 attack points. The Thunder Dragon was green as well, but darker. It was a serpentine monster, with two large wings and no other limbs. Thunder sparked around it. Its stats were 1600 and 1500.

"That's supposed to be more devastating?" asked Kevin, laughing. Joe joined him. However, Drake had crossed his arms, already thinking through all possibilities.

"I activate Thunder Dragon's special ability, allowing me to fuse it with another specially summoned Thunder Dragon to created Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" said Kaiba. With a bolt of thunder the original Thunder Dragon vanished. In it's place stood a bright orange dragon. It had two horns on its head and one on its nose. It had a wide mouth with green gums and rows of razor sharp teeth. A second mouth was embedded in the back of its next. It stood balanced on two chicken-like legs, using a long tail for balance. It had 2800 attack points.

"He's got a monster with 2800 attack points already!" exclaimed Duke.

"But Kaiba has to be planning something else," Bakura pointed out.

"What do you mean? What can be worse than that?" asked Tristan.

"Because Kaiba could have easily summoned two of his Blue-Eyes, White Dragons with the Flute. 2800 is a lot, but not compared to two with 3000 attack points," explained Bakura.

"That's a good point, and it means our boys are in a lot more trouble," said Mai.

"When aren't they in trouble?" asked Lara.

"Now, I activate Fusion Sacrifice!" exclaimed Kaiba, sliding the card into his disk.

"What does that card do?" asked Kevin.

"I don't know, I've never heard of it," answered Joe.

"Aw crap!" said Drake.

"That's right Pegasus," smirked Kaiba. "By discarding my entire fusion deck, I can special summon one monster from it." With a loud bellow and a rush of wind, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon flapped down from the clouds and landed on Kaiba's side of the field. It was truly a sight to see. It had all three Blue-Eyes, White Dragon heads, though slightly elongated, with a symbol on each forehead. The wings stretched twice the length of the field. It towered over the duelists nearly as much as the Winged Dragon of Ra did. Its raw attack points were 4500.

"He got his Ultimate Dragon on the first turn!" gasped Téa.

"Woah, go Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, who couldn't help but be impressed.

Everyone else seemed to be totally speechless.

"My turn isn't over yet," smirked Kaiba. "I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back XYZ Dragon Cannon." This machine monster looked like three different military machines stacked on top of each other. Two land rovers and a jet, all primarily colored, went into the mix. Its stats were 2800 and 2600. Joe and Kevin couldn't help but let their jaws drop. Drake was sweating slightly.

"He has five monsters on the field and it's only his first turn!" exclaimed Mai.

"That's totally unreal!" exclaimed Téa.

"They're going to get blown out of the water," commented Duke.

"Come on guys, be positive!" protested Yu-Gi. "There's always something they can do, they just need to consider all their options."

"Okay, I'll be positive. I'm positive they're going to lose," said Tristan.

"I heard that!" shot Joe.

"Just teasing man!" called Tristan, putting on an overlarge grin.

"I end my turn," stated Kaiba, with a contented, haughty smirk.

It was silent on the other side of the field for a moment, while they processed everything.

Drake spoke first. "I'll set one monster in defense mode, as well as setting one card face down."

"Is that the best you've got, Pegasus?" said Kaiba, saying his name like it was a curse. _"Now they'll learn no one talks down to Seto Kaiba."_

"No, I've got something that can stop you! I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" declared Drake. A dozen swords made solely of light rained down on Kaiba's side of the field, pinning his monsters down. "Now you can't attack for three turns!"

"Awesome! Nice move Drake!" cheered Lara.

"See! I knew there was something they could do!" said Yu-Gi.

"Now it's time to prune his monsters down!" added Mai.

"Don't get excited because you managed to buy yourself a few turns," glowered Kaiba. "It's only a matter of one attack before I win this duel."

"It's my turn now, so watch as we prove you wrong," said Kevin, checking his hand. _"Dang! Worse luck of the draw possible! I don't have a single monster!"_

"Then take your turn," said Kaiba.

"I set these two cards face down and that's all," said Kevin, putting Dedication Through Light and Darkness and Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer into his duel disk. _"I hope my bluff works."_

"My go!" exclaimed Joe. _"I need to do something to take out Kaiba's monsters or we're all toast."_ He glanced around the field. _"And I have the perfect card too! This should take out one of rich-boys dragons and a huge chuck of his life points!"_

"I don't have all day," snapped Kaiba.

"See this and weep, moneybags! I play Rotator Spider!" announced Joe, putting the card into his duel disk. "This card takes the strongest monster on the field. That monster is then blindfolded and spun around. You have to shout stop, and then that monster will stop spinning and attack whatever it's facing!" As he spoke a tiny mechanical spider appeared in front of him. It scuttled over to Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon. It then wrapped a web around each head, confusing the dragon and walking it into the middle of the field. A spider's web made of light appeared beneath the dragon's claws, a monster in each section of the web, a potential target.

"That's awesome! Kaiba's monster dragon is going to destroy one of his other monsters!" cheered Tristan.

"Not necessarily," said Duke. "I wonder if Joe remembers the duelists themselves count as targets?"

"He has to? Joe's not that dense," said Téa.

They all exchanged looks. Then, at the same moment every spectator slumped forward and let out a sigh.

"He did forget, didn't he?" asked Bakura.

"Yup," said Mai.

Joe, hearing every word they were saying, was trying to hide a massive sweat-drop, since they were completely right.

"I hope you know what you're doing bro," said Kevin.

"Don't worry," said Joe, still sweat-dropping. "I've got good luck."

The Rotator Spider began to spin Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon in a circle, which was quite a task. Kaiba quickly eyed up the intervals of the spins.

"You made this easy on me, Stop!" he shouted. Rotator Spider slowed, ticking passed his monsters.

"_Come on, Come on…"_

It ticked passed Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. It ticked passed XYZ Dragon Cannon. It slowed at Drake's face down monster. Then, it ticked once more, and stopped so that the ultimate dragon was pointing at Drake.

"Drake!" exclaimed Lara.

"WHEELER!" screamed Drake as a Neutron Blast engulfed him.

"Er…sorry Drake," said Joe, sheepishly.

"Ha! For all your speeches about friendship, you so carelessly eliminated one of your own allies on the first turn!" laughed Kaiba. "How pathetic! You eliminated the only one here who might have posed a slight threat to me. I suppose I should thank you, mutt."

"Can it rich-boy!" shot Joe.

Drake stood there, smoldering, as his life points hit 0. His head slowly raised, his red eyes burning with intense fire, which he leveled on Joe. Joe continued to try to look apologetic and sheepish. But under Drake's intense gaze Joe was melting like a candle under a blowtorch. Joe gulped, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Drake said nothing, the silence was clearly worse.

"Get off the field, Pegasus," said Kaiba, coldly. "You lost."

Drake swept his fiery glare away from Joe and met Kaiba's frosty one. "This isn't over for us yet, Kaiba!"

"It is for you," smirked Kaiba.

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"Marik!" exclaimed Ishizu, compulsively embracing him.

"Sister…" said Marik, bashfully.

"I'm just so happy you're safe. I have prayed for this day for many months."

"I'm proud that you were finally able to overcome your dark side," said Odion.

"I couldn't have done it without you," replied Marik.

"Come on, let's go find the others and celebrate," suggested Ishizu. "Today is to wonderful to hide inside."

"Er…" Marik lowered his head.

"What is it, Master Marik?" asked Odion.

"I don't know how I can face them, after all I've done to them, and after all the trouble I've cause," he answered, ashamed.

"You can start by leaving this room," replied Ishizu.

"But sister…"

"She's right," agreed Odion.

"…I know, but…Can you two come with me?" asked Marik, his eyes still low.

"Master Marik, I have never left your side, I won't leave you now," answered Odion.

"Thank you Odion," replied Marik. "But you can drop the "master". We're family, you're my brother."

Odion got so choked up he couldn't reply.

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"Er…I set one monster face down, and that ends my turn," stammered Joe, still slowly burning under Drake's non-stop glare.

"Then I'll set this card and end my turn," declared Kaiba, sliding the card into a magic slot. "Pegasus might have bought you a few turns, but it won't matter, as soon as I can attack, you're both history."

"Hey, we still have two turns to crush every single one of your dragons!" snapped Kevin.

"Big words from a mouse," Kaiba replied, coolly.

"Hey! Take that back!" demanded Kevin. Kaiba merely continued his taunting smirk. "Okay! That does it! I'm wiping the floor with you!" He drew his next card.

"_They'd better catch onto Kaiba's plan,"_ thought Drake, bitterly. _"It's so obvious what cards he just set!"_

"_Dang, I still don't have anything good,"_ thought Kevin. _"Well, at least I finally have a monster I can summon."_

"_Come on Kev, we have to stick together to beat this guy,"_ thought Joe.

"I'll summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn," said Kevin. A hologram flashed in front of him.

"My turn! And I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" declared Joe. Beside his face down monster a violet upright panther appeared. It carried a sword and a shield, as well as wearing a cape. It also had green shoulder pads. Panther Warrior had 2000 attack points.

"Ha! Now Joe has a strong monster on the field!" cheered Tristan. "It's strong enough to take out Kaiba's Lord of Dragons."

Drake buried his face in his hands. _"He really is that dense."_

"Now, I tribute my face down monster so Panther Warrior can attack!" exclaimed Joe. His other monster vanished and Panther Warrior sprang forward, sword raised, ready to strike the Lord of Dragons.

"WHEELER YOU IDIOT!" shouted Drake.

"Thanks, mutt, you activated my Crush Card—Virus!" smirked Kaiba, flipping over the card he had just set.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Joe.

"_I saw that coming a mile away! I could have done something about it! Why did I have to lose so early on! I know I could beat Kaiba!"_ Drake thought, viciously glaring at Joe's back.

The Panther Warrior sliced through the Lord of Dragons. But as it did a grey haze of germs surrounded its body, invading it. Panther Warrior crumbled to dust. That haze continued, filtrating into Joe and Kevin's deck. Their duel disks started to make a beeping noise.

"Now, ever monster in your decks with more than 1500 attack points is sent straight to the graveyard," gloated Kaiba, his life points dropping to 3200. Kevin's face down monster vanished, leaving both of them without a monster on the field.

"They can't summon a monster with more than 1500 attack points, and Kaiba still has his Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon!" exclaimed Tristan. "This duel is done for…"

"They still have their magic and trap cards," Bakura reminded them. "They still stand a chance."

"No, they lost their chance when they kicked my Drake out of the game," said Lara, putting an arm around her boyfriend. Drake's glare was instantly traded for a fit of coughing.

"_I've made a few mistakes, but I'm not out let, but this is going to take a little luck,"_ thought Joe. "I'll set one card face down, and that's all for me." He slid Skull Dice into his disk.

Kaiba drew a card. "I pass."

"My turn…" said Kevin, starting his. _"Dang, I had to discard about every single one of my monsters!"_

"You're sweating, mouse," smirked Kaiba. "What, did you forget to include a few weak monsters in your deck? Any good duelist knows how important a well rounded deck is."

"Hey! You did the same thing at the Duelist Kingdom!" shot Joe.

"I don't recall ordering you to bark, mutt," retorted Kaiba.

"That tears it! Kaiba, I promise you this, you won't win!" snapped Joe.

"Like there's something you can do to stop me," smirked Kaiba.

"I'll set Aqua Madoor in defense mode and end my turn," said Kevin. Aqua Madoor had pale blue hair that resembled seaweed. It wore a green, white, and blue jumper. Its face was hidden behind a white mask. Its stats were 1200 and 2000.

"_Dang, Kaiba really does have us against a wall. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...Nah! I can't let him think he's got me beat!"_ thought Joe. "I summon Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode, and I'll also set this card." His fairy monster appeared in a swirl of light. Swordsman of Landstar looked like a large pink marshmallow with eyes, shoved into a red suit of armor. The helmet was shaped like Santa Claus's hat. The armor itself was rounds to fit the monster's body. It carried a very short sword and a shield with its picture on it. Its stats were 500 and 1200.

"What a pathetic group of monsters!" chortled Kaiba. "They're almost as pathetic as your brain power!"

"Hey!" protested Joe and Kevin.

"I'm starting to agree with him about Joe," muttered Drake.

"Don't be bitter, dear," said Lara, once more flustering Drake.

"Come on Joe, Kevin! Don't let him get to you!" called Yu-Gi.

"Yeah, you need to focus on the duel!" agreed Mai.

"Hey, guys, did you see where Shayla got to?" asked Duke.

"She left when the guys were posturing," answered Mai. "Not that I really blame her."

"I'm surprised she wants to miss this," commented Téa.

"Well, it is sort of one sided," said Bakura.

"No way! My brother will win this," insisted Serenity.

"Of course he will!" Tristan instantly agreed. Then, softer, "He just has to beat one of the strongest Duel Monsters in the game…"

"I summon Blade Knight in attack mode," said Seto, setting a monster card in his one open space on his duel disk. This warrior appeared between XYZ Dragon Cannon and Luster Dragon. It seemed small compared to the behemoths around it. Blade Knight had 1600 attack points. "Then, I'll set these three cards. Your Swords of Revealing Light are gone! And your life points will be next!" The sword holograms blinked out all around his monsters, freeing every single one to attack.

"Come on guys, you need to do something, fast!" called Téa.

"Don't worry," said Kevin, turning around and winking at her, causing another round of sweat-drops.

"He really isn't for real," commented Duke.

"But why did Kaiba put so many cards down?" asked Serenity.

"Card of Demise," answered Drake. "He has to discard his entire hand at the start of his next turn."

"You really should be up there still, they need your help," said Tristan.

"I know," grumbled Drake through gritted teeth.

"I activate one of my face down cards, Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer!" declared Kevin as he started his next turn. "This lets me move my Buster Blader from my graveyard to my hand!"

"Awesome!" agreed Yu-Gi. "Now, if he can summon it, Buster Blader will have a definite advantage over Kaiba's monsters!"

"It's about time they got a strong monster on the field," agreed Mai.

"He just needs to tribute two monsters," said Duke.

"And I set this monster face down," said Kevin, setting his only other monster with under 1500 attack points in defense mode on the field. It was Pitch Dark Dragon, with stats of 900 and 600. "Now, for the big finale!"

"You're going to blast Wheeler out of the duel?" taunted Kaiba.

"You wish!" smirked Kevin. "I move Aqua Madoor to attack mode and activate United We Stand! Now, my monster gains 800 more attack points each monster on my side of the field, and I have two!"

"Now Aqua Madoor has 2800 attack points! He can start attacking Kaiba's monsters!" cheered Yu-Gi.

"Awesome turn-around!" agreed Serenity.

"It still can't compete with Kaiba's Ultimate Dragon," said Bakura.

"Aqua Madoor, wipe out his Luster Dragon!" ordered Kevin. Aqua Madoor placed its hands close together and fired a pulse of water that looked like a small tidal wave. Luster Dragon bellowed once, then was swept away. Kaiba's life points dropped to 2800. "Ha! Take that moneybags!"

"My turn to have some fun with him!" gloated Joe. "First, I'll place one magic card face down! Then, I move my Swordsman of Landstar to attack mode!"

"You really are a dueling dog, Wheeler," shot Kaiba.

"Just watch a pro!" retorted Joe. "I activate Graceful Dice!"

Kaiba groaned, "You're relying on luck again? That only proves you have no true dueling skills."

"I'll wipe that smirk right off your face!" snapped Joe. A chubby cherubim floated down to the field, carrying a large green die. It let the die go, sending it spinning across the field. _"Come on, give me a high number so I can attack rich-boy! I need a high number to multiply my swordsman's attack points by!"_

The die rolled once more, and stopped at a five.

"Ha! I got a five!" cheered Joe. "That means Swordsman of Landstar now has 2500 attack points!"

"Wow, you can do basic math. I didn't think your tiny brain could handle such complex equations," remarked Kaiba.

"How much longer are we going to have to listen to this put-down parade?" groaned Duke.

"I know, it does seem a bit childish," agreed Mai.

"Now, Swordsman of Landstar, attack his Twin-Headed, Thunder Dragon!" ordered Joe.

"Perhaps I spoke too soon, my monster is still stronger than yours," said Kaiba.

"For now it is, but I activate Skull Dice!" declared Joe, flipping over another one of his face down cards. This time, a chibi devil floated down, carrying a red die which it released to roll around the field. _"Come on, anything but a one!"_

"Come on brother!" exclaimed Serenity.

The die stopped at a two.

"Ha! That cuts your dragon's attack points in half!" said Joe.

Kaiba glared at him as his monster's attack points were lowered to 1400. Swordsman of Landstar attacked it, and the Twin-Headed, Thunder Dragon broke into tiny data bits. Kaiba's life points stopped at 1700.

"For boating about how strong your monsters are, you're the only one who's lost life points!" laughed Kevin.

"You'd better watch what you say mouse, cause you're about to lose!" snapped Kaiba. He drew a card. "I have to discard my entire hand because of Card of Demise. But I already have all I need with the cards on the field. Reveal Enemy Controller!" He flipped over one of his face down cards. What looked like a large video game controller appeared in front of all his remaining monsters.

(AN/ Authoress license used here.)

"Huh?" Joe and Kevin looked completely puzzled.

Kaiba smirked as he explained it. "One of the abilities of this card allows me to take control of one of your monsters." The cable of the controller shot out and bound Aqua Madoor, whipping it to Kaiba's side of the field.

"My monster!" protested Kevin.

"Now, Enemy Controller will let me automatically summon a monster, if I sacrifice the right number of monsters. So, I tribute Aqua Madoor and Blade Knight for Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" announced Kaiba. The two monsters vanished. Where they had been his first Blue-Eyes, White Dragon flew. It touched down beside Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon. It had 3000 attack points.

"Wow! Way to go Seto!" cheered Mokuba.

"Dang! That's a lot of teeth!" exclaimed Joe, looking from the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon to the three heads of the Ultimate Dragon.

"Now, Blue-Eyes, White Dragon, attack the mouse's face down monster with White Lightning!" ordered Kaiba. In a burst of heat and thunder, Kevin's Pitch Dark Dragon vaporized.

"Oh no! That was my last monster!" exclaimed Kevin.

"The duel is over for you, mouse! Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon, attack his life points directly!" ordered Kaiba. "Neutron Blast!"

"GAH!" screamed Kevin as he was surrounded by the hologram of the attack. With a beep his life points hit 0. He fell backwards hard from the shock.

"Kev! Bro!" exclaimed Joe.

"You're all alone mutt, so much for teamwork and friendship," gloated Kaiba.

"Kevin? Are you okay?" asked Serenity.

"Yea…fine…" muttered Kevin, his pride hurting.

"Just be glad it's just a hologram," said Duke.

"Yeah, if it was a Shadow Game, that would have been a really painful attack," agreed Tristan.

"You two aren't helping," Mai said.

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Shayla leaned against the wall of the open-air corridor on the other side of the blimp. She was relieved the tournament was finally over, and that everyone was okay. She was truly happy that Mai had woken up. But it had thrown her for a loop the way Joe, Drake, Kaiba, and Kevin insisted on another duel. She couldn't understand that. She was also a bit puzzled by how she walked away from it all. There was something bugging her, something buried in the back of her mind. It was that thing that was still making her slightly uneasy.

"It's all the answers I don't have," Shayla told herself. There were still ends she didn't know. Rudy was one mystery she had yet to solve. Yet another was the link to the Millennial Items, and the dreams she kept on having.

It seemed thinking about them was a bad idea. She could feel the world start to spin around her.

"Not…again…" Shayla groaned, once more feeling her consciousness being pulled back…

xDreamx

Shayla was now sitting outside. It was night, the air was just beginning to cool off. But the torches from the nearby palace and walls weren't nearly enough to pierce the shadows. She leaned against the base of a statue in the middle of what she concluded had to be a garden. There was actually green plants, unlike what she had seen in her prior dreams. It was hard to tell if there was a pattern to the garden, or even if there were flowers, it was too dark.

Shayla could feel her chest suddenly heave. It was then she knew she was trying to hold back tears. Why she was upset…that was yet another mystery. She could feel herself struggle against the tears for a few minutes, before she heard footsteps approaching her. The footsteps paused on the other side of the statue. There was a moment of silence before the newcomer spoke.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Shayla recognized the voice—Seto Kaiba.

"I can't do it," she felt herself answer in a broken voice she was desperately trying to hold steady. "I can't do it. This isn't my place. This isn't my world. I don't belong here."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course you belong here," replied Seto. "We can't undo what fate has done."

"I don't believe in fate," she answered, which mirrored Shayla's exact thoughts at that moment. "There has to be a mistake."

It was silent for another long moment. Shayla could feel his intense eyes evaluating her. She could hear his footsteps walk over beside her, and then she heard him sit down next to her. Shayla desperately wanted to lift her head and confront him, but the girl she had been watching never did. Her eyes were locked on the brown sandstone of the base of the statue.

"Tell me what's really wrong," he insisted, at length.

That one request turned out to be too much for her. Shayla felt herself break down and start sobbing.

xEnd Dreamx

"My…head…" groaned Shayla, picking herself up off of the floor. "Why does this keep happening?" She took a few moments to regain her equilibrium. Once she was steady (enough), she started down the hall. "I have to find some answers, now."

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"Now, XYZ Dragon Cannon, attack the pathetic Swordsman of Landstar!" ordered Kaiba.

"Not so fast, I activate Scapegoats!" exclaimed Joe. Four fuzzy, pastel colored sheep tokens appeared on his side of the field. The one that formed in front of the swordsman was blasted away.

"That was a close call…" commented Tristan.

"Come on bro! It's up to you now!" yelled Kevin.

"Don't worry, I'm not losing to this snob," replied Joe.

"He still has to deal with the Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon," Mai said.

"It's amazing he lasted this long against it," commented Bakura.

"My go!" exclaimed Joe, drawing a card. _"I really am stuck between a rock and a hard place…"_

"Is there anything he can do, Yu-Gi?" asked Serenity.

"Yes," replied Yu-Gi. "He just needs to consider all his options." He dropped a hint.

"I'll set one monster face down in defense mode, move Swordsman of Landstar to defense mode, and end my turn," said Joe. He placed Battle Warrior on his duel disk, who had stats of 700 and 1000.

"I summon Kaiser Seahorse!" exclaimed Kaiba, placing another monster on his disk. This sea serpent only looked like a seahorse in the plated, shimmery armor that it wore. It carried a similarly fashioned shield and a trident-like sword. Its stats were 1700 and 1650. "Now, attack!" In a torrent of power, most of Joe's defensives were swept away. When the smoke cleared from his side of the field, all that remained was his Swordsman of Landstar.

"Aw man! Joe's practically back to square one!" exclaimed Tristan.

"But I know my brother will win," insisted Serenity.

"I knew you'd win this!" called Mokuba.

Shayla quietly stepped off of the blimp and walked over to the make-shift duel arena. She had tried to find Ishizu, but then realized Ishizu would probably want to spend some time with her family. So, Shayla felt drawn out here for some reason. She had concluded it had to do with her last dream.

"Mokuba, how does the field stand?" she asked him, since he had been closest to the blimp's exit.

"Oh, hi Shayla," replied Mokuba. "Right now my brother had Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon, XYZ Dragon Cannon, Kaiser Seahorse, and one of his Blue-Eyes, White Dragons on the field, as well as two face down cards. All Joe has is Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode on the field. Drake and Kevin already lost."

"Wow, has it always been this one sided?" asked Shayla.

"Yup! My brother rocks!"

Kaiba glanced over his shoulder, noticing the new arrival. Everyone missed the slight tug upward at the corner of his lips.

"My turn now! And I've got just the combo I need to win this duel!" exclaimed Joe.

"I knew you'd do it!" cheered Kevin.

"He'd better not mess up again," muttered Drake.

"I play Baby Dragon and Time Wizard, activate Time Wizard's special ability!" explained Joe. Time Wizard raised his staff, the hand spinning around the clock-like face. "If I get a clock, Baby Dragon turns into Thousand Dragon!"

"And if you get a skull, you blow yourself out of the duel," finished Kaiba. "I know what the card does. And I expected no less from a one star duelist like you."

"I'll make you choke on those words!" exclaimed Joe. _"Come on, anything but a skull!"_

"He's relying on luck again," Mai pointed out.

"It's what works for him," replied Yu-Gi with a shrug.

The hand ticked on a skull. Then it ticked on another skull. Finally, it came to a stop on a clock.

"All right!" cheered Joe. "Time Wizard! Do your thing!"

"Time Magic!" The entire field was caught into a time vortex. The duelists and the monsters were shrouded in the vortex, while everyone tried to see what had happened.

Joe's side was the first to clear. Thousand Dragon stood directly in front of him, thought Swordsman of Landstar was nowhere to be seen. Thousand Dragon was brown, with knobby horns on the corners of its face. It also had white hair around the ears. It was crouched on all fours, breathing slowly, relaxed. It had 2400 attack points.

"Ha! Now to see what 1,000 years did to your side of the field!" laughed Joe. When he saw, he about inhaled a lung.

XYZ Dragon Cannon and Kaiser Seahorse had been destroyed. But the two Blue-Eyes were as fierce as ever. Kaiba was staring smugly at Joe, his arms crossed.

"What happened! Your monsters should have been all destroyed!" protested Joe.

"You idiot, don't you know dragons age the slowest of all creatures?" explained Kaiba, condescendingly. "1,000 years is nothing to them."

(AN/ I could have had the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon age into another Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon. But I was nice. xwinkx Maybe next time.)

"I could have told you that!" snapped Drake.

"Aw dang…" muttered Joe, his shoulders visibly slumped. "I move my Thousand Dragon to defense mode. Then, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

"It looks like he has a Plan B," commented Tristan.

"You're giving him too much credit," replied Duke.

"I don't care how bad this looks, I know my brother will still win," insisted Serenity.

"I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards," said Kaiba. "I'll set one of them face down. Now, Blue-Eyes, White Dragon, attack his Thousand Dragon! White Lightning!"

"You fell for my trap! I play Graverobber!" exclaimed Joe.

"I knew he'd have a plan!" cheered Serenity.

"Awesome!" agreed Yu-Gi.

"This lets me select one magic card from your graveyard and use it!" continued Joe.

"I know what it does!" snapped Kaiba.

"Then watch and weep! I choose Enemy Controller!" gloated Joe. "But I'm going to use it differently! My command is…Destroy the Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon!"

"Yes! I knew you'd figure it out!" cheered Yu-Gi. The cable wrapped around the Ultimate Dragon, breaking it into data bits.

"He did it! He actually did it!" exclaimed Duke in disbelief.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, bro!" called Kevin.

"I'm not done yet, I activate my second card, Monster Reborn, to revive Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon on my side of the field!" announced Joe, as Kaiba's strongest monster appeared in front of him.

"Woah…" muttered Lara.

"Strategically, it's a good move," commented Drake. "But now Joe isn't going to live to see his next sunrise."

"Er…Seto?" called Mokuba tentatively. Multiple throb marks were forming across his brother's forehead.

"This is going to get ugly, isn't it?" asked Shayla.

"Yes…" agreed Mokuba, sadly.

"A half-rate duelist like yourself doesn't even deserve to breathe on that card!" shouted Kaiba, fury level max. "You could never understand what it means to be a duelist who can wield a dragon like that! YOU WILL PAY!"

"Talk, talk, talk," Joe taunted.

"Er…Joe, you might want to be quiet before you end up in a place worse than the Shadow Realm," cautioned Bakura.

Joe smirked. "Let's get on with this duel. And as I remember, your Blue-Eyes, White Dragon was about to attack my Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon." The White Lightning attack shot across the field, ready to be countered by a monster much stronger than it.

"I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" declared Kaiba. His favorite monster vanished from the field, its attack as well.

"He dodged it!" exclaimed Tristan, stunned.

Kaiba was still fuming, glaring frozen daggers at Joe. "It's still my turn, and I activate Restoration of Freedom!"

"Huh?"

"I told you I'd make you pay," glowered Seto. "This card can only be used if one of my monsters is controlled by another player. That monster is removed from play, acting as a tribute so I can summon another monster! I'd rather see my dragon out of this duel than in your filthy hands!"

"Geesh, chill," protested Joe. "Who'd have thought he'd get so worked up over a card?"

The Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon vanished again, and this time it didn't reform.

"I also activate one of my face down cards, Cost Down! Now, I can summon a seven or eight star monster! Meet my second Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" With a loud roar, his second Blue-Eyes formed beside the first.

"Kaiba really hasn't lost control of this duel even once," commented Lara.

"I could have changed that," muttered Drake, still bitter. "Wheeler is going to be in a world of hurt when I get to him."

"Come on, brother! I believe in you!" called Serenity.

"Serenity…" started Mai, but she saw the hopeful look on the younger girl's face. "Er…never mind."

"There's a big difference between you and me," shot Kaiba. "I rely on my skills to win, while all you have is mere luck. That's why you'll never be a true duelist."

"Ha! You really kill me!" Joe started laughing.

"You've finally lost it," glowered Kaiba.

"Lighten up and relax! We've got a great duel going on here! Have a little fun!" replied Joe.

"I don't have fun!" snapped Kaiba, who was clearly reaching the outer limits of his patience.

"Then why do you duel if you can't have fun?" asked Joe.

"Shut up, and dog like you knows nothing," growled Kaiba.

"Why would I want to know about all stuff like that?"

"Let's end this farce and finish this duel. It's your turn mutt."

"Seto…" said Mokuba, softly, his good mood killed. Shayla placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine, fine, whatever moneybags," shrugged Joe. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." The hologram appeared behind his Thousand Dragon.

"This duel is over! I play Rope of Life!" declared Kaiba. "It requires that I discard my entire hand, but I don't have any cards in my hand. Now, one monster is pulled out of my graveyard, and it gains 800 attack points!"

"At least the Ultimate Dragon was removed from play," said Kevin, breathing a sigh of relief.

"But Kaiba's going to have three monsters," said Bakura. "If Joe doesn't have a good face down card, he's going to lose."

A very familiar roar echoed across the field. Kaiba smirked as his third Blue-Eyes, White Dragon took its place with its kin. It had a raised attack of 3800.

"No way! We never sent that card to the graveyard!" protested Joe.

"He did, when he had to discard his hand because of Card of Demise," Drake pointed out.

"Now to finish you once for all!" shouted Kaiba. "Attack his Thousand Dragon with White Lightning!" His first dragon attacked, completely incinerating Joe's only monster.

"This is over," muttered Shayla.

"Now, to wipe you out, attack his life points directly! White Lightning!"

"I activate Nutrient Z!" shouted Joe.

"What does that card do?" asked Serenity.

"When Joe loses 2000 life points or more, Nutrient Z increases his life points by 4000," answered Yu-Gi.

When the attack passed, Joe was still standing, with more life points than ever at 5000.

"Ha! Looks like you can't beat me this turn!" gloated Joe. "You only have one dragon left to attack.

"That's all I need," glowered Seto. "I activate my remaining face down card, Delta Attacker!"

"Yup, it's definitely ugly," murmured Shayla.

Joe blinked blankly. "What does that do?" Drake again buried his face in his hands.

"It can only be used when I have three monsters with the same name on the field," explained Kaiba, condescendingly. "It combines their attack power into one attack!" A triangle plate appeared between his three Blue-Eyes. The corners were missing from the triangle. In place of the corner was a chain. The chains shackled around the necks of the Blue-Eyes, locking them together. Eight blue eyes glared across the field at Joe.

"That's… 9000 attack points!" exclaimed Tristan.

"Joe!" cried Serenity.

"Now, attack, Triple White Lightning!" ordered Kaiba. His most loyal monster did as they were told, burying Joe in one of the most devastating attacks in Duel Monster's history.

His life points hit 0 and his friends ran to him. Joe stood and brushed himself off.

"You've got a lot of guts talking about being a true duelist, Kaiba," said Joe. "But you're not a true duelist! You can't even have fun with the game!"

"Idiocy is a disease that you won't be cured of until you die, fool," glowered Kaiba.

"Hey! Take that back!" exclaimed Joe, having to be held back by Duke and Tristan.

"Don't let him get to you!" said Duke.

"He's not worth the energy," added Tristan.

"You know what, you're right!" agreed Joe, trying to level a haughty gaze on Kaiba and failing. "I almost won, anyways."

"Yeah, that's a good attitude to have," said Yu-Gi with a smile.

"Come on, let's have a burger to celebrate!" suggested Joe.

"He's still thinking about food?" asked Bakura, surprised.

"Good idea! Me first!" said Kevin, running towards the blimp.

"Hey! Get back here! I have dibs!" exclaimed Joe, chasing after him.

"You'd better save some for me!" said Tristan, racing after him.

"They are totally hopeless," said Téa, sweat-dropping.

"I guess we'd better go keep an eye before they start eating the walls or something," said Mai.

"That would be funny," giggles Serenity.

"I am a bit hungry too, let's see what they're serving," suggested Yu-Gi, the group heading in. Shayla followed at the back, carefully running her walking stick over the ground, searching for random pieces of metal.

"That was a total waste of my time, let's go Mokuba," said Kaiba when they had left.

Mokuba was looking at the ground, not saying anything.

"Mokuba?"

Mokuba then looked up, tears filling his eyes. "Yu-Gi and Shayla were right! You're just filled with hate!"

Kaiba stopped, surprised from his brother's outburst. "Mokuba, don't let what they said get to you."

"But they're right!" insisted Mokuba. "Yu-Gi said that your enemies weren't the monsters on the field, but the monsters in your own heart! And Shayla was right about you needing to bury your hatred! I know our childhood wasn't the best, but at least you smiled then! Why don't you smile any more? Why can't you have fun any more? You used to love games and smile all the time! I loved your smile then! I want my older brother back!" The tears were spilling over.

"Mokuba, calm down," replied Seto, taking on the tone he had when Mokuba had got upset while watching the chess match in the Virtual World. "Don't let that fool you—." Before he could finish with 'I just wanted to keep those losers away from me' Mokuba had ran back inside the blimp.

Mokuba had just jumped up the steps into the airship when he collided with Shayla, who had been traveling slightly slower than the rest of the group. The two were standing in the open-air passage on this side of the ship.

"Mokuba?" she asked. Then she could hear the sobs. "What's wrong?"

"It's…Seto," cried Mokuba.

"Oh, you mean about his attitude today, right?"

Mokuba nodded. "Y-Yeah…I'm losing m-my b-brother."

Shayla bent down so she was on his level. "Mokuba, listen to me. I know your brother has been really mean today. But I also know he cares about you more than anything. I know he'd never hurt you on purpose."

Mokuba hugged her, still crying softly. Shayla was surprised, but managed to maintain her composure.

"It's been a long, stressful day for all of us," she continued. "I'm sure he'll be in a better mood in the morning."

"It's just…" stammered Mokuba. "I already lost Noah today xsniffx I don't want to lose anyone else."

"You won't, Mokuba," said Shayla. "I know how much Kaiba means to you, and I know how much you mean to him. Give him some time to cool off, and then talk with him. I'm sure he'll understand then.

"T-thanks, Shayla," replied Mokuba. "I'm sorry if I…"

"Don't mention it," she said, standing again. For a brief moment, she had been reminded of the time she had spent with Martin after Luther had died.

"I probably should get going, we wanted to take off soon," said Mokuba.

"O-ok…" said Shayla, nervously, realizing heights would be involved.

"Thanks again, Shayla," said Mokuba, hurrying down the halls and further into the ship.

Outside, Seto Kaiba had seen the whole thing. He had walked to the blimp to enter as well, but had stopped when He saw Mokuba and Shayla hugging each other. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew Mokuba was still upset. Shayla looked so gentle, he thought she had never looked prettier. He saw Mokuba stand up, smiling slightly. He also saw Shayla's small smile back as Mokuba left. Seto could actually feel his heart pumping. The scene was burned into his mind. After seeing that, he knew there was no way he couldn't tell her how he felt.

Kaiba quickly entered the blimp, before she could get too far, and before they could be interrupted.

"Shayla, wait," called Kaiba as he caught up with her.

She paused, surprised. She really hadn't expected Kaiba to talk to her. Ever since the finals had started he had been getting nastier and nastier, which had cumulated at the last duel. Luckily for her, he directed his anger at the finalists, and she had done her best to avoid the duels all together. He had seemed to mellow out slightly since the incident in the Virtual World. She guessed it was because he had to face a side of himself that he had tried to deny existed.

"What is it?" she asked, turning her head so her ears could focus on the sound of his approaching footsteps.

"I need to talk with you," he stammered, working up his courage.

Shayla's head bobbed a bit as she jerked in surprise. This was certainly unexpected.

"What is it?" she repeated, curiously.

Kaiba walked over to her, standing between her and the railing which lead to the drop outside. He looked down at her, a hundred of different wordings for the simple thing he wanted to say running through his head. Kaiba was also wary. He knew that she had seen his worst side during the last duel. Somehow, he needed to get her to look past that.

Kaiba opened his mouth to speak, when the com on the collar of his coat sparked to life.

"Mr. Kaiba, requesting permission to start the take-off sequence."

Kaiba groaned at the interruption. "Is everyone on?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then let's leave." The static from the com died.

"Thank goodness, it's about time we get to go home," commented Shayla.

"Are you that eager to leave?" he asked. The blimp lurched slightly, taking off and pulling away from the island.

"I've been wanting to leave since the beginning," she answered.

Kaiba glanced at her again, taking in her features. "You could have done well in the final rounds."

"No thanks," she replied, turning to leave.

Kaiba grabbed her wrist. "Wait, the view here is nice." He smirked out across the expanding ocean, back to the rust-filed island and Duel Tower.

"What does that matter to me?"

It was silent for about three seconds, then…

BOOM!

Footsteps could be heard running overhead, as the passengers tried to figure out what was going on.

Shayla let out a small scream and leeched onto his arm.

"W-w-w-w-what was that?" she stammered.

"The Duel Tower," answered Kaiba. "I had it destroyed." Behind his should a large curl of smoke was drifting into the sky. The tower crumbled to the island, which was being swallowed by the ocean.

"Dear Lord I'm sick of things exploding!" she exclaimed.

"I did it to bury my hatred," Kaiba explained.

"W-what…?"

"You were right, I did need to bury my hatred, so I buried it and the tower at the bottom of the sea."

"Y-you actually r-remembered what I told you?"

"How could I forget?"

Shayla was starting to feel slightly anxious, and slightly confused. Kaiba's tone was gentle now, completely different to what he had used during the duel. Once more, his seemingly split personality had consumed all her thoughts as she tried to figure him out. Once more, she had no answer to the large question. But a small answer did present itself.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" she asked. "You did stop me, after all. Or was that what you wanted to tell me, that you had decided to move on?"

"Yes, there is something."

"What…is it?" Shayla had hesitated because she realized how close she had drawn herself to him when she grabbed his arm. She surprised herself even more by not pulling away. Somehow, the closeness didn't bother her like she thought it would.

"I-It's…." he stammered, his face slowly turning redder. _"Gosh am I glad she can't see that."_

Shayla stood, patiently, if not a bit nervously. At the rate things were going, who could blame her for being nervous?

"_Who would have guess that the hardest thing I ever had to do was talk to a girl?"_ Kaiba asked himself.

"What?" asked Shayla, in his pause. For some reason, her heart was starting to beat faster, and her hands were getting sweaty. There was something nagging her in the back of her mind, something she couldn't focus on. And, for some strange reason, she had the sudden desire to hold her scales, which were in the backpack in her left hand.

Seto took a deep breath. "Shayla….I like you."

Shayla again twitched in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this. She was about to ask him to repeat himself, when something inside of her snapped. Power like she had never known surged through her. Something deep in her memory, deep in her subconscious, awoke, pushing her out of the way.

For those who could see what was going on, they would have noticed her scales in her backpack glowing. It made her backpack look like someone had shoved a nuclear reactor inside. A wadjet eye appeared on her forehead.

Kaiba took a step backwards, his eyes wide with surprise.

Shayla pulled off her dark sunglasses and stared him down with her creamy brown eyes.

"How can you have the nerve to tell me that?" she demanded, with a voice like ice. There was something different in her overall tone.

Kaiba continued to stare at her, not responding.

"How could you lie like that!" Shayla continued to demand. "How can you tell me that garbage, when it was you who killed me!" She was being so loud that doors could be heard opening as the duelists ran to the cause of the second commotion.

Seto looked like he was going to ask what the heck she was talking about, when something jerked inside of him, pushing him to the outer limits of his mind. Just like Shayla, a glowing Eye of Horus appeared in the middle of his forehead.

"I hate you!" she screamed.

"You do not know what you are talking about," he replied, coldly. By this time a crowd was beginning to gather, on the next level up of the airship, looking down.

"What is going on?" asked Joe, who was above the situation.

Yu-Gi, who was with him, didn't reply. He stood there, noticing the flow of the Millennial Items. It wasn't too hard for Yami to figure out what was going on.

"Did I miss something?" asked Mai, approaching the two guys. "I could have sworn I heard Shayla screaming that Kaiba had killed her."

"I don't know what I'm talking about!" Shayla shrieked, below.

"Listen to me," said Kaiba.

"No, Seto," she spat. "That was your name, right? This time, you listen to me!"

"Lara, I think we are witnessing a fight that has waited 5,000 years," muttered Drake, who was watching everything with Lara from the floor above Yu-Gi, Joe, and Mai.

"Who would have thought, of all people, it was them who knew each other in the past?" she replied.

"You traitor!" Shayla yelled. "Treacherous rat of the entire empire! Involved in sickening rituals of the Dark Cult…."

"You have it wrong, Shaylana," he replied, gently. Shaylana jerked in surprise. "Surprised that I remember your name? Don't be. I couldn't forget it. I could never forget anything about you." He raised a hand to stroke the side of her face, but she roughly shoved it away.

"Don't even talk to me like that!" she yelled back, thoroughly enraged.

"The millennia seemed to have changed your attitude, Shaylana. Before, you would have never dared speak to someone of a higher social status with that tone," said Seto, coldly.

"You aren't higher than me!" she yelled. "You are scum! Plotting the murder of your pharaoh, breaking the ancient rules of magic with chaotic results, setting me up for the sacrifice in your twisted schemes…."

"Is Seto okay?" asked Mokuba, his eyes wide with concern. He had just ran around the corner, and was about to go to the stairs to talk with his older brother.

"That isn't your brother," replied Yami.

"What?" asked Mokuba. He looked at Yami completely confused, then took the stairs to the next floor down.

"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" asked Joe.

"No, it is always better just to let couples work out their differences," said Mai.

"Couple!" gasped Joe.

"….Do you think you have the right to toy with people's lives like that?" Shaylana continued to yell. Seto had stopped trying to interrupt. He just stood there, letting her vent. "You egotistic, narcissistic, selfish, hateful, pathetic excuse for a human being! And now, you have the nerve to say it wasn't true? That it wasn't your fault? And that you actually…."

Seto stopped her in a very unexpected way. He reached his hand to her face, pulling her chin up. Then he bent down and kissed her soundly on the lips for about three seconds.

The corridors, which had before been echoing with her yelling, went deathly quiet. The onlookers were beyond stunned. Even Shaylana seemed to lose her voice. They pulled apart. Shaylana seemed to be struggling to mouth words of anger, and her hand twitched as if she was preparing to slap him. Seto spoke before she could.

"I always wanted to do that while we were alive," he replied.

Shaylana's face flushed. For the first time, she seemed to be completely lost for words. Without saying anything, she turned and ran from the hall. Her footsteps faded, followed by the sound of a door slamming.

"I-I think we should go help her," muttered Mai, who started down the hall.

"Good idea," agreed Téa, who promptly followed after glancing down at Seto once. She joined the group late, but Shaylana had been yelling loud enough that she didn't need to be close to know what was going on.

"Hmmm…." muttered Duke as he approached with Serenity on the same level as Kaiba. "I thought she was supposed to be blind." He stared down the hallway that Shaylana had run passed them. The rest of the group joined them, having just walked down the stairs.

"So did I," agreed Serenity. They both looked confused about the whole situation.

"What was that all about!" demanded Joe, instantly stepping forward to confront Seto.

"Nothing that concerns a peasant like you," replied Seto, coldly. He glared at Joe much like Kaiba always did.

Seto looked around. All he saw was harsh or confused faces.

"I suppose you all want my other soul back," he said. Not caring for an answer, he released his hold on Kaiba.

Kaiba fell to the floor. He didn't get up, being completely unconscious.

"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, instantly racing to his side. "Someone, call the hospital wing!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Shayla?" called Mai as she knocked on her door. It opened from under her knuckles. 

"Are you okay?" called Téa as they entered.

Shaylana was sitting in a large armchair, crying into the armrest.

"Do you want to talk?" asked Mai.

"I guess so," replied Shaylana. "It has been so long since I was free to do so."

"Um……"

"What just happened?" asked Téa.

"That is a long story….." muttered Shaylana. "You'd better be careful when you ask for that, Téana."

"Excuse me?" asked Téa.

"This is getting way too weird…." muttered Mai.

"It was worse before, Maiah," replied Shaylana.

"I'm Mai."

"But in the past you would be known as Maiah," replied Shaylana.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Téa. "Are you the spirit of the scales, like Yami is the spirit of the puzzle?"

"Yes."

"Spirit? Yami?" asked Mai.

"What happened?" asked Téa, understanding more about the situation than Mai. "Why were you yelling at Kaiba?"

"Seto," replied Shaylana, through gritted teeth. "His name is Seto."

"Huh?" asked Mai, who was looking more confused than ever.

"He was a high priest in Egypt during the time I lived," replied Shaylana. "I never imagined his spirit would be preserved, too."

"But….well, how?" asked Téa. "Kaiba doesn't have a Millennial Item."

"Seto did. He owned the rod," replied Shaylana, her eyes narrowing. "I know that too well….."

"What makes you say that?"

"He used it to kill me."

"Let me get this straight," said Mai. "In Egypt, Kaiba was a priest. He had that rod-thing Marik had. Somehow he betrayed all of Egypt. Then he used the rod to kill you? But somehow, those scales of yours kept you around until today?" She looked absolutely baffled.

"Yes, Maiah," replied Shaylana. "For millennia I have slept inside of the scales, knowing that someday a person would come to use their powers once more…. Shayla is not unlike me that sense. We both cringed from magic when we were first exposed to it. If she hadn't, I may have awakened sooner, though I never desired to awaken from my sleep."

"What did he say that made you so mad today?" asked Téa, focusing on the present once more.

"He actually said he liked me," answered Shaylana, bitterly. "But you don't kill the one you love."

"Kaiba admitted he liked you?" said Mai, a bit surprised, a bit smugly.

"Seto is a liar," Shaylana answered, bitterly. She sighed. "I have used up too much energy today. I will return my other side."

"You mean Shayla?" asked Téa.

There was no reply. Shayla just slumped forward, unconscious. Shayla was in control again. At least she would be, once she woke up.

"I think we should take her to the hospital wing," said Téa.

"Is it necessary?" asked Mai.

"Well, she is exhausted, somehow," said Téa.

"You're right," agreed Mai, as they began to man-handle Shayla across the blimp.

xFlashbackx

Shaylana had let her curiously get the better of her. On her way back to her room from Isis's temple, she had noticed the high priest walking with a group of his guards. Ever since he had cornered her that one night, she had wanted to know more about him. Those blue eyes had held her spell-bound more than once. It caused her heart to race every time she thought about someone so important actually speaking to her. So, she had decided to follow him.

In between the guards was a large wagon, pulled by two slow moving oxen. Whatever was in the wagon was heavy, because it was so low to the ground the axels looked about ready to break. It seemed highly odd that they were traveling with such a load as the sunset. Most heavy work had been done earlier, so they would not be stuck in the dark. Perhaps they were running late, Shaylana thought. But then why was Seto with them? It seemed like such a menial task…

She stayed in the shadows and close to the wall. She was puzzled when they avoid the main entrance of the palace and instead circled around it, to the left hand side. The sun had now set, and darkness was covering all. But Seto still seemed to know exactly where to lead them. He followed the ornate carvings on the wall, until one specific spot. Shaylana couldn't tell what was different about this part of the wall and the others, but she stayed back, watching.

Seto raised the Millennial Rod and placed a hand on one symbol of the palace wall. A hidden door in the wall swung up, the path behind that leading into darkness. High Priest Seto disappeared inside, then the first few guards, and then the wagon. But when the wagon got close to the entrance, it hit a bump, dislodging the blanket that covered the cargo.

Shaylana's eyes went wide when she saw what was under it. It was a tablet she had been told about in such vivid details she could have seen it in her sleep. She had never actually seen this tablet, but she knew it was the one from Priestess Ishizu's descriptions.

Shaylana felt as if her heart had stopped at that moment. She knew the chaos that had come from the tablet, and how the pharaoh felt about it. And now, Seto had taken it and was hiding it within the palace.

"_How could it be him, though?" _she asked herself, looking up at High Priest Seto, half afraid and half appalled. She leaned against the wall she was hiding by, trying to clear her head. _"I have to tell Ishizu!"_ She crept away. The moment she was out of sight, she burst into a run, heading back to the city as fast as her feet would carry her.

"_It doesn't matter any more," _she thought as she ran.

Soon, her breathing was clipped, half from running hard. Her side was aching, but not nearly as much as her heart. That, she had no idea why.

x-x-x-x-x-

She raced into the temple of Isis through one of the back doors. She went through quickly, trying not to attract attention to herself. That was the last thing she needed. She was frantic in her search for Ishizu.

Unfortunately, before she could find her mentor, someone else found her. Shaylana felt strong hands grabbed her. The person was hidden behind a doorway.

"Let me go!" yelled Shaylana, as she struggled to get free.

"I don't think so, you're the one our priest wants," replied a man's voice. She could see enough of his clothing to tell he was one of Seto's guards. "You're coming with me." With that, he began to drag her away, over her screams of protest.

x-x-x-x-x-

It had been the most frightening hours of her life. The guards had done everything in her power to make her miserable. They clearly had nothing but contempt for the Hebrew people. She had been hit and kicked. But the worst part was when they carved her eyes out, permanently blinding her. Shaylana alternated between shaking and crying.

She was, however, able to learn several things from the guards' conversation. She knew that the high priest was planning on overthrowing the pharaoh, using the forbidden magic Ishizu had warned her of. There was going to be betrayals, because they had loyal spies everywhere.

The ultimate plan she learned later. The Millennial Items were going to be used to open a gate and release a creature whose equal had never been seen.

Shaylana was roughly led down some deep stone steps. Where she was at and where she was going was all a mystery to her now. Her head was throbbing painfully as blood trickled down her face from where her eyes used to be.

"Tie her up at the end," barked one of her captors. She was drug halfway across the room, shoved at the end of some kind of square stone slab, and tied to it.

"Now all we have to do is wait for our priest. Then, we shall kill the pharaoh and claim his kingdom for our own."

Shaylana was more afraid than Shayla had been when she was almost thrown out of Marik's helicopter. She sat on the cold floor, not even bothering to struggle free. Her head hurt, and she couldn't stop her hands from shaking in fear against the ropes that bound her.

Before too much time had passed there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

"In here, pharaoh," came the unmistakable voice of Seto. "This is where I hid the tablet from Kuruelna, the tablet with the power to summon the darkest magic if the Millennial Items are present."

The pharaoh did not reply. He merely continued on. Shaylana was terrified at what would happen next. All she knew was what she heard.

"Greetings, pharaoh," said a man who had yet to speak. "And welcome to your tomb."

"Heishin!"

"What is going on here?" demanded Seto.

"Just a slight change to your plans," replied Heishin.

There were the sounds of a fight and lots of yelling for several minutes. Shaylana cringed close to herself, trying not to be the target for a stray attack. She could hear male screams as they got hurt, and people breathing hard as they exerted themselves. But soon, the fight was over.

"Now, pharaoh, hand over the remaining Millennial Items, or this brat gets it," snapped Heishin.

"Don't….." came a mangled reply.

It was completely silent for a moment, as the pharaoh, alone and outnumbered, had to make his choice.

"Don't push me, I will act," growled Heishin.

"Have it your way," said the pharaoh, at extreme length.

There was laughter. "Put them in their place." Shaylana heard the sounds of footsteps walking around her, and then metal being placed on stone. As the pharaoh passed, he placed one hand on her shoulder, for encouragement, though it only lingered a moment.

"You are a fool," chortled one of the guards.

"Our high priest will reign supreme!" added another. Shaylana quiver a little.

There was the sound of metal hitting flesh, followed by a body hitting the floor.

"With the Millennial Items gathered and a blood sacrifice offered, an invincible creature who'll only obey me will be summoned," said someone in a low voice. Shaylana couldn't tell who was speaking, but she had a good guess.

Someone was walking over to her. The guards were encouraging their high priest. Shaylana was reaching a new level of fear. The pharaoh watched, powerless to help.

Shaylana felt a strong hand grab a handful of her hair. He pulled her head back, until it touched the top of the slab behind her. A strange tingle ran down her neck as her head was forced onto an item behind her.

She could now sense the faint power of all the Millennial Items. Six were securely in their places in the sarcophagus to which she was tied. The seventh, was right in front of her. She could sense it, Seto's Millennial Rod.

The rod was raised, point facing down. She knew what was going to happen. She tried to squirm away, but she was bound too tightly.

The Millennial Rod was brought towards her with force and speed. It went, point first, through her exposed neck, spilling her blood on the Millennial Items. The scales grew warm beneath her. Then she remembered no more in life.

AN/ Thank the Lord! I have been waiting ever since the beginning of SS2 to get those last few scenes posted! And before y'all comment, I know all about the Pharaoh's Memory saga. No need to tell me what happened, I actually saw it (I've got those episodes downloaded). Authoress license used where needed. This series follows the actual events of Yu-Gi-Oh! as well as deviating to my original ideas when I find it necessary. So don't get used to it being one way then complain when I change it. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! 

36


	18. Confession

Confession

AN/ Contains Pharaoh Memory saga spoilers.

"Seto, Seto," called Mokuba, gently shaking his brother who was now laid out in the hospital wing.

"What was that all about?" asked Duke.

"I have absolutely no idea," answered Tristan.

"Ha! I saw we fly around a few days and give moneybags a taste of his own medicine," said Joe.

"Huh?" asked Bakura.

"Well, Kaiba wouldn't land to let anyone who had been hurt get to a real hospital, so I think it's only fair to leave him here a while," replied Joe.

"You're not helping things," said Lara, pointing to Mokuba.

"It still serves him right," muttered Kevin.

"Regardless, it doesn't explain what those two were yelling about," stated Drake.

The door swung up, and Mai and Téa entered, carrying Shayla, who was still out cold, between them.

"What happened to Shayla!" exclaimed Yu-Gi, jumping to his feet.

"Don't look at me," answered Mai. "She was talking nonsense, then just collapsed." She helped Téa lay her on the bed next to the door.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Serenity.

"They probably got stressed over the tournament," suggested Duke.

"That doesn't explain why Shayla was screaming that Kaiba killed her," Mai pointed out.

"I have an idea…but I still find it hard to believe…" stammered Téa.

"What's there to find out? Kaiba's finally gone totally nuts," said Joe.

"It's more than that, Joe," said Yu-Gi.

"Huh? What do you mean, Yug?"

"Excuse us, but you're all going to have to clear out," said one of the doctors.

"But…why?" asked Mai.

"We need space to work," he answered.

"But we want to be with our friends," protested Téa.

"Do I have to leave Seto?" asked Mokuba.

"It will only be for an hour."

"Well, we did leave halfway through dinner," said Kevin with a sheepish smile.

"How can you be thinking about food now?" groaned Drake.

"I'm hungry."

"Sounds like a plan to me," smiled Joe.

"Watch it Wheeler," glared Drake. "You're still on my bad side."

"Guys, let's not fight," soothed Bakura.

"Come on, visiting hours are over," said the doctor, escorting them to the exit.

"You have one hour," said Mokuba, before walking away behind the group.

"Push-y…" muttered Lara.

"I just hope it's nothing too serious," said Téa.

Their voices faded as they walked down the corridor and turned out of sight.

"Now, for the patients," said the doctor, turning around.

THUD! He hit the ground, completely unconscious.

Seto Kaiba stood over him, lowering a fist to his side. Now, everyone beside him who was in the room was knocked out. Without a word he walked over to Shayla's bedside and shook her gently.

"Shaylana, Shaylana, wake up," he called, softly.

"Ugh…" she stirred slightly.

"Shaylana?"

WHACK! The palm of her right hand connected with his left cheekbone.

"Stay away from me!" she snapped.

"Shaylana…" he said again, gently, touching the spot where she had struck him.

"Don't try to play games with me!" she snapped, jumping to her feet. "I hate your guts!"

"Don't be this way, Shaylana. You're not the same, sweet girl I remember. That Shaylana was unable to hate anyone.

Her chocolate-colored eyes narrowed. "You know I can't lie."

Seto's eyes momentarily lowered. "I know…but I also know you're trying to hide your true heart." She turned away from him, but he moved to meet her eyes. "You need to know the truth. What happened is not what you think happened."

Fury danced in her eyes. "I know what happened that night, you traitor! You—!" She suddenly choked up, her hand flying to her throat as if to protect it from the memory of her death.

"I didn't kill you Shaylana," he said. "I couldn't…"

"Spare me!" she snapped, viciously.

He again met her eyes. "We both know you can't lie, the Millennial Scales won't allow it. But we also both know that you'll always know when someone else is lying. You know I'm not lying now. I'm telling the truth; I could never have killed you because…"

Her glare narrowed, and for a moment she looked like she was going to tear into him again, but she said nothing. Seto keep his gaze locked on her, waiting a long moment for her to say something, but silence was all he received.

"Shaylana…I could never hurt you," he started again. "Because…I love you."

Her eyes widened and started wavering, her emotions dancing unreadably. Once again, she turned her back to him, making sure she was standing in front of an end table so he could get in front of her again.

"Shaylana…please…listen," Seto insisted.

Shaylana said nothing, instead, she reached into Shayla's backpack, pulling out the Millennial Scales. She set them on the end table, slightly off to her right, so Seto could see them. But he was focused on her, trying to read her emotions and failing. He had waited so long to tell her how he felt…and now, to have her respond like this, it was painful.

"Shaylana?"

"You want me to listen, so talk," she glowered. "And the Millennial Scales will tear through your lies."

"You'd be willing to summon Ammit on me?"

"It's no less than you deserve!"

"I tell you, you don't understand what happened that night!"

"Then talk, and meet justice! The scales are weighed perfectly. One falsehood, and they'll tip until Ammit destroys you."

"Do not worry about me, the truth will not bring my judgment. But I worry about you, I don't want you to lose your heart to bitterness."

Her back was still to him. "You wanted to explain, so explain. I'm not staying her to be lectured. If that's your purpose, I'm leaving."

"Fine, I will tell you the truth," Seto said. "I know I made a lot of mistakes. I might have made some bad choices, but I always had good intentions. And I never, ever, would have wished for you to be harmed in the slightest."

Flashback

Seto had thought he was doing the right thing. One night he and some of his guards and returned to Kuruelna and stolen the tablet where the Millennial Items were created. He had brought to a secret chamber within the palace. The chamber could only be open by a descendant of the Dark Cult, which he had only recently learned he was the only survivor, since he only recently discovered the identity of his father. He sealed the tablet down there, hoping it would never be opened again.

But somehow it had been unsealed, mere hours after the seal had been placed. He had sensed it though the Millennial Rod, and the pharaoh had sensed it through his puzzle. They had hurried over, just the two of them and Lance, the pharaoh's most trusted and highest ranked guard and fighter. None of the other Millennial Item bearers could be located. But they knew it might be too dangerous even for Lance, so they had told Lance to wait outside of the chamber.

"In here, pharaoh," Seto said. "This is where I hid the tablet from Kuruelna, the tablet with the power to summon the darkest magic if the Millennial Items are present. I'm sorry I never told you…"

They reached the middle of the stairs. His words died. Seto knew instantly that something was wrong the moment he saw the entire chamber. The Hebrew girl was tied to the sarcophagus, her face a mass of blood. She seemed simply terrified. Seto gaped in horror. This was not supposed to happen. Hadn't he silently promised himself to make sure she was happy and safe? He looked around, a number of his guards were already in the chamber, which he did not understand.

"Greetings, pharaoh," said Heishin as he stepped out of the shadows. "And welcome to your tomb." He was looking rather smug. Seto was about to order his guards on them, when he noticed their evil smile. They were no longer working for him, the Millennial Rod in his hand let him know. They had sold out to Heishin.

"Heishin!" snapped the pharaoh.

"What is going on here?" demanded Seto, glancing again at Shaylana, swamped by guilt. He was still confused by how the chamber could be opened in the first place.

"Just a slight change to your plans," replied Heishin. He pointed and the guards charged.

Seto was ready with his Millennial Rod. He held off about six of them, but that left six others to deal with. The pharaoh was helping with the Millennial Puzzle. But, they were still outnumbered.

In the pandemonium that followed, the pharaoh was backed into a corner, trapped by three spears. Heishin had attacked Seto from behind and snatched the Millennial Rod out of his hand.

Now, Heishin held Seto prisoner, pointing the Millennial Rod at his neck. He turned to the pharaoh. Seto squirmed, trying to break free of the death grip. But then he looked into Heishin's eyes. It wasn't Heishin looking back.

"Akunadin!" gasped Seto. His own father had taken control of Heishin. Seto had thought he was dead, and now that underestimation cost him.

"Now, pharaoh, hand over the remaining Millennial Items, or this brat gets it," snapped Akunadin through Heishin. He tightened his grip on Seto, making it hard for him to breathe.

"Don't….." Seto managed to gasp. He knew that Akunadin was planning on summoning the Dark Night.

The pharaoh looked around the room, sizing up the situation. It was doubtful that he knew all the dangers, but he knew enough.

"Don't push me, I will act," growled Akunadin.

"Have it your way," said the pharaoh. Seto's eyes went big. He tried to fight free, but that only caused more pressure on his neck.

"Put them in their place," ordered Akunadin, gesturing to the coffin. The pharaoh reached under his robes and took out the Millennial Ring, Key, and Eye. They already had the Rod. The Scales had been taken, resting just behind Shaylana's head. Ishizu had already been murdered and her Necklace taken.

The pharaoh walked over stolidly. He put the items he had in their places, finishing with the Puzzle. He placed a hand on Shaylana as he passed. The guards cackled and jeered the entire time.

When he had finished Akunadin removed the Millennial Rod from his son's throat. Seto gasped for a breath. But Akunadin hit him on the side of the head, stunning him. Seto hit the floor with an ominous thud.

"With the Millennial Items gathered and a blood sacrifice offered, an invincible creature who'll only obey me will be summoned," said Akunadin, in a low, eager voice.

He walked across the chamber and grabbed Shaylana's hair in his free hand. She whimpered a bit. He tilted her head up, putting her face in clearer light. It had to hurt. Seto stirred, struggling to stand and speak. The pharaoh took a step forward to try to stop him, but the three guards put their spears in his face again.

Akunadin raised the Millennial Rod and shoved it through Shaylana's exposed neck. Her blood flowed onto the Millennial Items.

"No," gasped Seto. His breath got caught in his lungs. It felt like he was in Akunadin's choke-hold again. How could he have let this happen? He cared about her so much, and never told her. He had tried to do the right thing, and it had all crumbled. And now darkness was filling the room because the ritual had been completed.

End Flashback

The Millennial Scales had not moved at all.

"Do you understand now, Shaylana?" asked Seto, stopping his story. "I made a big mistake, and it cost you. I'm sorry, I never wanted you to get hurt so badly, I cared about you so much…"

He stopped talking when he saw Shaylana's shoulders vibrating. She was shaking.

"Shaylana!" exclaimed Seto, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He turned her around so he could see her face. That turned out to be too much for the Israelite girl. She broke down completely and started sobbing. "I'm sorry…" He started running his fingers through her hair, trying to comfort him.

"I…never….fault…" she sobbed, not making any sense at all.

"Shh, don't say anything," Seto said. _"Why does she always have to be crying when she ends up in my arms?"_

He held her while her sobs slowed enough for her to speak. "Seto…I'm sorry…"

"Shaylana, you did nothing wrong. It was my mistakes that cost us—and you most."

"I wasn't always right," she sniffed. "When I died…I was so scared, so confused… And when I thought it had been you…it was too much to bear." She lowered her head and rested it against his chest, enjoying the feeling of him slowly rocking her. "I had…I thought I had to convince myself to hate you…because my heart was so confused…and I was weak…I couldn't handle it."

"You're not weak," said Seto. "You were very strong, we could all see it. You also managed to be compassionate. That's why the scales choose you."

"Seto…"

"You know I speak the truth."

"I know something now, why I was so confused…"

"What is it?"

Shaylana sniffed, looking up at him with deep, wet eyes. "I…had come…to love you, too."

Seto looked down at her, offering a small smile. He raised a hand and brushed the tears off of her cheeks.

Shaylana glanced down again. "Then what about Kisara? You were always with her…"

Seto chuckled. "You were jealous of Kisara?"

"What's so funny?"

"Yes, I loved both of you," he answered, but continued before Shaylana could push away. "But Kisara was like a sister to me. I never knew my real family, and by taking in Kisara, she became like my little sister. I wanted to protect her too…" His eyes grew distant. "But that's not the same way I loved you." Shaylana started sobbing softly again. "Shaylana?"

"I'm sorry…" she murmured. "Kisara was one of my closest friends…"

"But we're not alone now, at least we have each other," he said, again holding her close.

Shaylana once more lifted her eyes up to him. She had calmed down, and was now feeling secure within his embrace. Seto was also feeling at easy since he had finally told her the truth, and she had admitted she loved him too.

Her eyes closed. He leaned forward, closing his eyes too. Their faces were only an inch apart.

The door opened and Mokuba walked in. He took one look and his faced flushed bright red. He instantly started staring at his sneakers.

"Er…s-s-sorry Seto," he stammered. "I s-should have k-knocked." With that he backed out of the hospital wing and shut the door.

Kaiba and Shayla awoke, put rubbing their heads.

"H-huh?" grumbled Kaiba, trying to come to his senses. He glanced down at Shayla, noticing how close they were. He then realized where they were at. He went for the first escape he could think of. "Mokuba! Wait!" He hurried out of the door.

"What…just happened?" asked Shayla, her head still spinning slightly. She could tell by the smell that she was in the hospital wing. But the last she remembered was Kaiba saying that he liked her. _"Wait…we were so close a moment ago…We weren't…were we? I have to know what happened."_

She hurried out to the hallway, stopping in the doorway and listening for his footfalls.

"Kaiba! Wait!" Shayla called down the left hand side of the hall. The moment he stopped, she realized she had no idea what to say to him.

Kaiba had yet to turn around when he spoke. "Just forget about it, it's nothing."

"You s-said that you l-like me….and you weren't lying."

"It's not important now."

"Now, you're lying."

"So why did you stop me?"

Shayla stammered, not sure of that answer herself. She began searching her own heart, and her own motives. When she found the reason, her face started turning scarlet.

Kaiba noted the silence, and turned around to see what had happened. He saw Shayla, with her left hand on the wall, head tilted slightly forward so her face was half hidden by her brown ringlets. Her face was slightly pink beneath her hair, and he could see it all since her sunglasses weren't in the way. He got a general idea of her thoughts at that moment.

Kaiba walked back to her, taking her right hand. "Come on, I know a place where we can talk uninterrupted."

"O-okay," Shayla agreed, following beside him.

Kaiba opened a larger door toward the front of the airship. The room itself was large, with several couches shaped in several circles. A squat table was in the middle of each circle. Large cushions were stacked in the corners.

"This is the lounge," he explained, leading her to one of the couches. "No one ever comes here."

"Do the others even know it exists?"

Kaiba smirked. "Probably not."

They both sat down and a short amount of awkward silence followed. Kaiba was the one who finally broke it.

"You would have done well in the finals," he said. "Why didn't you try to finish this tournament?"

"Because of all the bad feelings…I mean, just look what happened."

"Everything turned out okay…Can I see your deck?"

"My deck?"

"Yes, I'd like to see how it flows. You can tell a lot about a person by the deck they make."

"Okay," Shayla agreed, reaching into her backpack and pulling out her deck. It was still in her duel disk, which had been buried at the bottom. "This is my deck now, but…" She unzipped another pouch of her pack. "I also trade these cards in and out of it." She set three small stacks of cards, all bound in a rubber band, beside her main deck on the table between them.

"As I thought, you do know your cards. Not many duelists use field magic cards any more, but you've got them placed to your advantage."

"Thank you. I spent a lot of time reading Duel Monster magazines to figure out what cards other duelists were using the most, and to learn about different combinations I might not have thought of."

"That's what makes you a good duelist…you don't have a single dragon-type monster card here."

"They haven't made a female monster that's also a dragon type," commented Shayla.

"How do you even tell which cards are female or not?"

"Instinct, actually. Every card I've put in my deck has turned out to be female. It just worked out that way."

Before Kaiba could comment, a small rumble happened in the silence. Shayla suddenly sweat-dropped.

"When was the last time you ate anything?" he asked her.

"Er…hmm…" Shayla paused, thinking back. "Er…last night."

"It's been a full day since you last had anything to eat? You must be starving."

"I was just too anxious to be hungry before…"

"Let me order something from the kitchen."

"You don't have to go through the trouble."

"Don't worry, it is my airship after all." He spoke into the intercom on his collar for a moment, before turning back to her.

"Thank you, I just don't want to be an imposition."

"You're not, no need to be modest," he replied.

Shayla lowered her head slightly, once more causing her curls to fall over her face. Some got tangled in her sunglasses, which she had put on during the walk to the lounge.

Seto Kaiba leaned over the table, brushing her hair behind her ears, then touching her sunglasses. "Why do you wear these? It's not like they change a thing."

"Oh…" she stammered, pink coloring sliding up her neck. "It's m-most for everyone else. People seem to be disturbed when they see how my eyes really look…"

Kaiba gently lifted the glasses off her nose, then pulled the rest of the ringlets behind her ears. He rested a hand on her cheek, taking in her face, which was now unobstructed. "You look better with them off." He looked at her eyes for a long time, not at all flinching from the milky-white film that covered them. Something was nagging him at the back of his mind, something that was remembering how deep brown her eyes had been when they first met.

Shayla was now blushing badly. She lowered her head again. "T-thanks."

"How come you're blind in the first place?" Kaiba asked.

Shayla's head bobbed up, surprised. "You're only the second one to ask me that…ever."

"I understand if you don't want to tell me."

"No, I'm just surprised… It's several things that make it so I can't see," she explained. "The doctors said that the lens of my eyes are corrupt or something like that, I'm not sure of the medical terms. That's why it looks like my eyes are white—or so I'm told. They said they'd be able to replace those. But it would be pointless to, because my optical nerve is, for lack of a better word, dead. And they can't do anything about that."

"I…understand. But then why, back when we first met, could you see?"

"Magic. It had something to do with my Millennial Scales. But I don't understand it at all."

Kaiba groaned. "Can we not talk about magic for one day?"

"You asked," Shayla shrugged.

Just then, the door opened and one of the kitchen staff entered, carrying a tray of cold sandwiches.

"Your order, sir?" the staff member said.

"Just set it down on the table," said Kaiba.

He did as he was told, bowed briefly, and left.

"Thanks again," said Shayla.

"Don't mention it. You need to take care of yourself."

Shayla reached forward to feel for a sandwich. But as she did so her long sleeve accidentally caught her walking stick, which was leaning against the side of the table. It started to slide forward. Kaiba caught it easily. He looked it over, noticing the joint held together by duct tape.

He chuckled. "I remember when this came in contact with Pegasus's skull. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Next to Deblin's Dungeon Dice Monsters premier."

"_Did he just laugh?"_ wondered Shayla. "Hehehe, it was the only thing I could think of at the time."

Kaiba peeled back the tape. "I could fix this easy enough."

"You'd fix it for me?" Shayla said, hopefully, swallowing a bite of sandwich.

"Of course, this won't take too long," he replied, already pulling out his pocket tool kit.

"Thank you," said Shayla. "It's a bit of a pain carrying it around. It was easier before when I could collapse it into a rod and put it in my backpack when I wasn't using it."

Kaiba worked on it a few moments, giving her time to eat, before he spoke again. "Shayla…would you like to spend some time with me after school when we get back?"

"D-do you mean…like a date?"

"…yes."

"I w-would," she again tried to hide faint blushing. "But…can you answer one question for me?"

"What is it?"

"Who are you?"

Kaiba was so surprised by her question he stopped working for a moment. His blue eyes scanned her, trying to figure out what she meant. She could sense his confusion, so she explained.

"I mean…you always seem to be acting like two different people," she said, shakily. "Sometimes you're really nice, and other times you can be so mean to everyone its unreal. But…I want to get to know the nice you…" Her cheeks had flushed pink again.

"I'll admit it…I have a hard time trusting people," said Kaiba. "But I know I can trust you." He placed her now fixed walking stick in her hand. "I don't want to hurt you, ever." His fingertips brushed the back of her hand.

The wadjet eye flashed on both of their foreheads.

Shaylana looked up at Seto and smiled. "They like each other! This is perfect!"

Seto took her hand in his. "It means we can be together."

"I'm so happy," Shaylana said. "I had been so confused and so angry for so long, and now I'm free of that. And we've been given a second chance."

"Yes, that is a true blessing."

"There's just one thing…" said Shaylana, slowly.

"What is it? What's bothering you?"

"You know we're going to have to tell our other sides about us."

Seto slowly exhaled. "Yes, eventually we'll have to tell them."

"Soon, tonight," said Shaylana. "They have a right to know."

"Yes, that's true," Seto agreed. "But it's not going to be easy…"

13


	19. Scales v Ring

Gema's Personal Disclaimer: I'm putting this in front of every chapter I write, so no one can miss it.

First, the obvious, I don't own anything trademarked or copyrighted.

Second; These are my fics, so y'all will have to deal with my writing quirks. Do not bother telling me about my spelling choices, like Yu-Gi, Joe, Millennial, or whatever else they may be. These are not mistakes, they are intentional. Therefore, I don't want to hear about how they are other wise spelled. If spelling bothers you that much, then leave.

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x-x-x-x-x-x-x

AU/ Thank you Ryumasa for helping me pass the writer's block on this chapter.

Shaylana was walking quietly down the hall, back to where Shayla's room was. It was getting late, about midnight. Only the occasional moonbeams filtered through the round windows, leaving the entire corridor to be lit by the long florescent lights. Despite these, there seemed to be a lot of shadows. Though, perhaps that was merely because Shaylana was wearing Shayla's sunglasses.

Everyone else had already retired for the night. The entire ship was silent, as if it was holding its breath. The only sound was the faint hum of the motors, deep below her. Shaylana hardly noticed this. Thoughts were turning over and over in her head, causing her to walk in a stupor. So many things had happened today, and these things would open the door for a series of events she could not fathom. But mainly, her thoughts were on Seto…and then on how she was going to break everything to Shayla.

She had just turned a corner when a faint sound stopped her short. It was such a small noise that she was surprised she even heard it in the first place. It was the sound of someone walking on the thick carpet, right behind her. She stiffened, listening carefully. Shaylana had no reason to be wary, but some sort of sixth sense was telling her to be, regardless. The footsteps got closer and closer…then she heard them turn off, down a staircase she had passed.

Shaylana then dared to peek her head around the corner. The person was gone down the stairwell. All she saw was a quick flash of white. That was not enough for her to tell who it was. For a moment she stood there, hesitating. She knew she shouldn't be bothered by that person, but curiosity was nagging at her to do more. Though she remembered her last bout with curiosity—it had gotten her killed.

Nonetheless, Shaylana felt herself step away from the wall and walk towards the stairwell. She tried to set her feet down gently, so they made no noise at all—though the thick carpet helped greatly. She lightly stepped onto the next level down and quickly looked both ways for the person she was following. That person was nowhere to be seen. However, she thought she heard footsteps to the right. Shaylana took the gamble and started down the hall towards where she thought she heard the sound come from.

At the end of the hall, it branched right again. Shaylana went down it, and stopped suddenly, surprised. There was only one, small steel door down this hall, nothing else. She double checked, and there was still nothing. Shaylana put a hand on the door and paused again, wondering if she should bother to continue. She had no idea why she should continue. Nonetheless, sheer curiosity caused her to open the door.

She then saw who she was following; Bakura. Shaylana carefully shut the door behind herself, taking extra care that it didn't make a single noise. He had not yet noticed her presence behind him. She could tell he was very focused on whatever it was that he was planning. She could feel her Millennial Scales reacting to a great darkness in Shayla's backpack.

_"This…there is no way that he can be the same person Shayla remembers,"_ thought Shaylana with a small gasp. _"The darkness…it's coming from the Millennial Ring! I must do something, I sense evil is happening."_ She watched as Bakura—no, not Bakura, Yami Bakura—walked further down the hallway. She sized up everything present, trying to tie it all together for a definite plan.

One quickly formed. Shaylana set the backpack down in front of her and pulled out the scales. She then calmed her mind and focused on the powers within them. A dark vortex grew, starting between them and quickly engulfing them.

Yami Bakura whirled around, his eyes blazing. They looked on the figure before him. She did not meet the gaze, since her eyes were closed behind the sunglasses. The Eye of Horus flickered on her forehead. The walls of the lower blimp were fading, leaving nothing but a row of doors on either side. But space seemed warped, making it look like the doors were surrounding them in a perfect circle. The floor and ceiling vanished too, making it look like they were floating in darkness.

"A Shadow Game!" gasped Yami Bakura. "What is the meaning of this!"

"I know you're planning something to harm the others," asked Shaylana, with much more confidence than she felt. She also tried to hide the strain she was feeling. She had never used the scales so strongly before. "I won't let you."

Yami Bakura took a few steps toward her. Shaylana eased back on her left foot, but tried not to back down any more. "You don't stand a chance against me, blind fool," he growled.

Shaylana pulled off the sunglasses. Yami Bakura gasped, realizing she could see. It caught him off guard, and gave the first hints that he had been under-estimating his opponent.

"Who are you!" he demanded.

Shaylana paused a moment before she answered, "The spirit of the scales." Yami Bakura's eyed her up. "Much like you're the spirit of the ring. I can sense that much."

_"The spirit of the scales in a girl? What sort of trickery is this? She cannot possibly know who she's dealing with!"_ Yami Bakura thought, fuming. "I'll destroy you like I did any other bearer who dared oppose me!" He placed his hands around the Millennial Ring.

"The rules of this game are already established, you cannot change them," replied Shaylana, one noticeable waver breaking her tone.

"Then what are they?" he growled, crossing his arms, eyeing her up, asserting her weakness.

"The doors," she answered. "We both enter one. Behind each door is part of our mind, our personality. Its simply a matter of overcoming or being overcome by the hidden parts of your heart."

"What foolish nonsense!" shouted Yami Bakura. "You make a mockery of the true power of the Millennial Items!" He calmed a moment. "Though perhaps I should be grateful. This pathetic game will make it easy for me to take your Millennial Item!"

Their brown eyes locked for a moment, and Shaylana was the first to waver. Yami Bakura laughed.

"You're the thief they talked about…" she said, softly.

"Correct," Yami Bakura smirked. "Once I deal with you, I'll get the pharaoh. He's got three Millennial Items in his grasp—the perfect target!" He smirked again, more evilly this time, and gestured to where the points on his ring were pointing. "But once I lock you in the darkness, I'll have three as well. The fool won't stand a chance!"

Shaylana lowered her head, looking at where the ground should be. She talked softly, but with confidence hidden deep down. "That is why I cannot let you. I cannot let you hurt whoever you want while I have strength to stop you—that is also a form of justice."

"Shut-up, fool," grumbled Yami Bakura. "Let's finish this game so I can claim the power of the Millennial Scales."

Shaylana said nothing in response. She just finished with the power of the scales. Now, faint sounds could be heard coming from the doors. They were voices, people talking, all just barely unidentifiable. But it was clear the voices sounded familiar. Yami Bakura seemed a bit taken back, and his eyes shot from door to door, trying to make sense of what he was hearing.

"Like I said before, our memories, fears, dreams, and subconscious thoughts are behind those doors," answered Shaylana. "Choose well, so you won't be destroyed by them."

"What are you trying to pull here?" asked Yami Bakura, steel lacing his tone.

"Do you deceive yourself? Can you trust what you hear is the same as what's behind the door?" asked Shaylana. "Do you fear the things you love, do you seek the things you fear?"

Yami Bakura's eye twitched slightly, clearly becoming irritated by Shaylana. He would have easily killed her, had he not been surrounded by her Shadow Game. Those were consequences he wished to avoid.

"Let's choose then," said Shaylana. She closed her eyes and began to listen carefully, trying to separate the chorus of voices surrounding them into distinctive speakers.

Yami Bakura, however, kept his gaze on her, still figuring her out. He hardly seemed to care about all the noises coming from nearby doors. Shaylana looked up and their eyes locked. The malice in his glare once more caused Shaylana to shift and look at the ground. He held his glare a moment longer, before wordlessly walking to the nearest door and opening it.

Shaylana too, had selected a door. She walked to the second door on her right and pushed it open, not giving room or time for second thoughts.

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Seto Kaiba was up late again, typing up the paper work for the tournament. Mokuba was already asleep on the couch in the room. It was dark for that reason, the only light coming from the computer screen and the stars. However, for once his mind was not 100 on his work. It kept drifting back to Shayla.

Without warning he felt himself jump to his feet, slamming both hands onto the desk. "Shaylana's in trouble!" he gasped.

Kaiba shook his head, trying to clear it, wondering where this strange action came from. The only answer was a wave of blackness.

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The voices clarified themselves the moment the door shut behind Shaylana. They were voices she had not once forgotten; her family. Hearing them again brought tears to her eyes. She searched the shadows, seeking any sign of their faces. However, her entire body froze up when she realized what they were saying to her.

"How dare you betray us?"

"You are an Israelite, you have shamed us!"

"How dare you even consider an Egyptian!"

"You are no longer one of us!"

Shaylana's eyes went wide and she felt as if air would not leave her lungs. Fingers of ice wrapped around her heart, stopping it cold.

"It's…not like that!" pleaded Shaylana, choking on her words. "I…love Seto…But I would never do anything against you guys!"

"How could you fall for a pagan!"

"You knew better, and you still betrayed us!"

"Get out of our sight!"

"Please! I beg you, don't leave me!" sobbed Shaylana as she slid to her knees. Tears weld up in her eyes, blurring her vision. What was worse was the silence that followed—and the feeling of abandonment. "I'm s-so s-sorry…"

The shadows grew darker, threatening to engulf her. It hardly seemed to matter. Nothing had been more important to Shaylana than her family, which is why it hurt so much to lose them. She could never imagine anything worse than her family abandoning her—and she truly feared that.

She about fell face forward, but a strong pair of arms caught her. They held her close and steady. A new, yet familiar voice, spoke to her. But it was quiet. So quiet it was almost in the back of her mind.

_"Do not fear, know that no matter what choice you made, we would never hurt you." _

_"You're our sister and you will always be." _

_"Even if you did make a mistake, we would forgive you. We would never abandon you." _

_"We'll always protect you, little sister."_

Shaylana saw eight forms through a veil of tears…then, overwhelming darkness.

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Yami set bolt upright on his bed. Yu-Gi was still asleep. But Yami had sensed something powerful at work. He could not tell what that was, but something dark was going on. His eyes went wide when it occurred to him what that something might be.

"It's a Shadow Game!" he gasped. He leapt to the floor in his bare feet and hurried to the hall, not caring that he was still in his PJs.

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Seto entered the lower hallway on the blimp. The outer rim of the Shadow Realm was what greeted him.

"What! A Shadow Game! Here!" he gasped. "Shaylana!"

His timing was near perfect, because the moment those words left his lips, the Shadow Realm dissipated. Seto was shocked by what he saw. Both Shaylana and Bakura were passed out in the middle of the hall. Though they showed no physical signs of damage, there was clearly more that had happened.

"Shaylana! Shaylana!" he called, running to her and cradling her in his arms. "Please open your eyes!" She groaned slightly, but other than that did not stir.

Seto's head bobbed up when he heard footsteps quickly approaching. With a reluctant sigh he let go of his control on Kaiba and sunk back within his mind. Yami rounded the corner, noticing Bakura and Shayla still unconscious on the ground, and Kaiba wavering, looking like he was fighting off a migraine.

"What happened here!" demanded Yami.

Kaiba shook his head again, trying to clear it, and glared at Yami. "I could ask the same thing."

Yami responded to the glare with one of his own and walked over to Bakura. He bent down on one knee and checked on him. _"I know I sensed a Shadow Game, but the Millennial Ring is no where in sight…"_

"Kuruelna…" Bakura said, softly, on an exhale.

"Shayla…are you okay?" Kaiba asked her, gentle.

Shayla moaned softly, "Rudy?" Kaiba pulled back slightly in surprise.

"Bakura?" called Yami.

"Oh…my head…" groaned Bakura with his British accent as he slowly sat up. "Huh? How did I get here? …and where is here?"

"Do you know what happened, Bakura?" asked Yami. Bakura looked up at him totally perplexed.

"What…happened…?" asked Shayla, coming to her senses as well.

"Shayla, are you okay?" asked Kaiba.

"Fine…I think…" she muttered as he helped her to her feet.

"What was that about Rudy?" he asked, icily.

"Rudy?" asked Shayla, sounding a bit confused. "I thought he was here…but I think I was dreaming.

_"She's dreaming of this guy!"_ thought Kaiba. "I see…"

"Kaiba, do you have any clue as to what happened here?" asked Yami, Bakura standing beside him.

"No, I don't, Yu-Gi," Kaiba snapped back.

"Kaiba, please, let's not fight," pleaded Shayla. "I don't feel so well."

"Then I'll help you back to your room," said Kaiba, taking her hand. The two left, Shayla heavily leaning on Kaiba as she was still disoriented. Yami and Bakura watched them, before leaving the other direction.


	20. Shaylana and Seto

Gema's Personal Disclaimer: I'm putting this in front of every chapter I write, so no one can miss it.

First, the obvious, I don't own anything trademarked or copyrighted.

Second; These are my fics, so y'all will have to deal with my writing quirks. Do not bother telling me about my spelling choices, like Yu-Gi, Joe, Millennial, or whatever else they may be. These are not mistakes, they are intentional. Therefore, I don't want to hear about how they are other wise spelled. If spelling bothers you that much, then leave.

I, and everyone else, do not appreciate personal attacks. My fics are what are open to being critized, not my character. Attacking me is libel, and I will report it as harassment.

I will not include profanity in my writings. Deal with it. Also, I do not appreciate profanity in reviews, so please don't include it. There's over 600,000 words in the English language. I am sure y'all can use something besides profanity.

Some review etiquette should be observed. As says at the bottom of each review page "It is extremely helpful to use this opportunity to comment on an aspect of the story that can be improved. A well rounded critique is often the most rewarding tool for the writer." I would appreciate constructive reviews. "Please continue" is not very helpful. Reviews that are solely demands for updates or explanations about a lack of updates are not helpful. And please, use recognizable grammar when reviewing. A review isn't very helpful if I can't read it.

Please check my bio from time to time. If I am on vacation or something and cannot update, that will be in the first few lines of my bio. I'll try to let y'all know if there's an update delay, so please check.

Feel free to contact me either through IM or e-mail, that information is in my bio as well.

Now, most of you aren't the problem, but this is for the few that are. This might come across as crabby, and I'm not really like this, but I've been pushed to my limit because of certain reviews.

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Shayla flopped down onto her bed, still feeling like the world was spinning around her. She had never been one to faint, and yet now she had done just that several times within this one day. She wondered if she was sick, but this didn't feel like any sickness she had had before. Though, perhaps what disturbed her more was how she'd always wake up in a different place. Like what had just happened; last she remembered she was talking with Kaiba in the lounge. But when she woke up, it was several hours later and she was in the lowest hallway on the airship. Her head pounded faintly, warning of an approaching headache.

"_What is going on here?"_ Shayla asked herself. Thoughts were beginning to run together as she drifted off. There had been too much happening this day. There was the morning which was full of the Virtual World incident, and then the afternoon which concluded the Battle City Tournament. Then, after that Kaiba had admitted to having feelings for her, which seemed to have prompt a series of black outs. Shayla felt like she needed to sleep for a week straight to recover from this one day.

xDreamx

"Hello, Shayla," a very familiar voice called.

"Who's there?" asked Shayla, turning her head so she could best hear the speaker. The voice was eerily familiar, and yet Shayla did not know who was talking to her. That fact really bothered her, since she remembered voices very easily, that being her primary means to identify people.

"I'm a friend," the girl answered. "We've been together for a while now…but I never introduced myself. I think it's time I did. We're going to be spending a lot more time very close together."

"What are you talking about?" asked Shayla, half wary, half confused.

"It's a long story, so I might as well start at the beginning," she replied. "My name is Shaylana.

Shayla stopped short at the name. A cold chill slid down her spine—she now knew where she had heard the voice before. Even more off putting, Shayla could not sense a lie. Then, another thought occurred to her.

Shayla reached out, trying to come in contact with something—any solid surface. But her fingers found nothing. "Where are we?" she asked, now on edge.

"Inside your—no, our, minds," answered Shaylana.

"…What do you mean?" asked Shayla, lowly.

Shaylana grabbed out out-stretched hand and guided it to her own face. Shayla felt her alter-ego's facial features which were identical to her own, from the bone structure, to the hair, to the nose and lips. Shayla gasped, her hand falling back to her side, shaking for a moment.

"I've been sleeping inside of you a long time now," answered Shaylana. She tried to sound reassuring, so not to throw Shayla off any more. "I'm sure you remember the dreams you've had about Egypt."

"Yes…" Shayla replied, slowly.

"Those were all my memories," continued Shaylana. "While we both slept, our minds grew closer, and so you could see what I remembered."

Shayla inhaled slowly and deeply. "All of those dreams…were really?"

"Yes…sadly," said Shaylana. She glanced away.

"I…don't understand…" stammered Shayla, shaking her head.

"When I died…" Shaylana started, but her voice caught in her throat. Shayla stopped too, trying to think of something reassuring, but nothing came. "My blood was spilt over the Millennial Items. Because of this, my soul was trapped inside the Millennial Scales. …I never wished to wake up from my sleep within them. That's because I had made such a horrible assumption…" She trailed off, biting back tears.

"…what happened?" Shayla asked at length.

"The Millennial Scales came to you," answered Shaylana. "And because we are so similar, I began to awaken. I resisted it, but…well, here I am."

"You're awake…inside of me…because of the Millennial Scales?" asked Shayla, still very confused.

"Yes," replied Shaylana. "Those times when your eyes opened…that was because of me. Those were times I was near waking and our spirits merged. My eyes became your eyes."

Shayla's mouth dropped and her hand went to her own face, resting on her cheek with her fingertips just under her eyes. She didn't say anything, she was merely processing all of the information.

"I…know this is sudden," said Shaylana in the silence. "But we're going to be together for a while. I…want to be friends. No, we're closer than that." She walked over to Shayla and put an arm around her. "I want us to be family." Her voice did crack when she said that.

"Your brothers," said Shayla, remembering what she had seen about Shaylana's past. "You…miss your brothers."

"Yes…" Shaylana said quietly.

"I would too," agreed Shayla, empathetically.

"But, I never had a sister," said Shaylana. "And I always wanted one. So you could be my little sister."

"…I always wanted a family…any family," said Shayla, in the same tone.

Shaylana hugged her. "Okay, then let's be family. I'm going to help you as much as I can. You can trust me."

Shayla said nothing. There didn't seem to be any words to say. There was no lie in what Shaylana had said. Shayla relaxed a bit. She knew she still had problems fully trusting people, but she could tell by Shaylana's words and emotions that she could be trusted—she was a friend.

"There's…another thing you should know," said Shaylana, stepping back. She sounded a bit flustered as she spoke.

"What is it?" asked Shayla.

"I love Seto."

Shayla gasped briefly. "You love Kaiba?"

"No, er…I should have explained that better," stammered Shaylana. "I love my Seto. He's not Seto Kaiba. I know you've heard from Ishizu about Kaiba having ties to ancient Egypt. It's that Seto that I love. However…he's inside of your Kaiba like I am inside of you."

Shayla's first reaction was that she was taken back by Shaylana called Kaiba "hers." After that, it was another moment of shock as she processed this new information. Now, Kaiba had an alter-ego as well, an alter-ego that hers loved. The complications were easy enough to figure out.

Shaylana could sense Shayla's thought processes. "I know that this will make things…hard for you and Kaiba. But I do understand that this is your body and your life. I promise I won't do anything to compromise either."

"I…understand," said Shayla, off-handedly. She was suddenly blow away by the thoughts about what it would be like to actually, fully share a body with someone. She also suddenly realized all of the risks that could come with it—all the ways she could be used, just like Bakura was. However, there was reassurance in the fact she could sense Shaylana's honesty and good nature. She realized that she did have quite a lot in common with the Hebrew girl.

"Seto will be telling Kaiba about himself tonight as well," continued Shaylana. "We agreed it would better if you both knew about us." Shayla was suddenly glad she wasn't with Kaiba at that moment. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be nearly as accepting of these new circumstances as she was.

"I see…wait…then those black outs I've had…"

"Those were the times I fully awoke and used your body," explained Shaylana, sounding guilty. "I'm sorry, I'll try to be gentler next time. …I'm still adjusting to this too."

"Okay…we'll figure this out together then," stated Shayla.

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The room was dark save for a low blue light coming from the computer screen. Kaiba was typing quickly at the keyboard. He was making sure there was nothing that the media could access to use against him. He knew that if everything that had happened these past few days got out to the press, Kaiba Corp. would receive way too much bad publicity. He also had another motive for scanning every file in the Kaiba Corp. database. He was searching for any lingering signs of viruses—namely, Gozaburo, the Big 5, and Noah. The last thing he wanted was them infesting his system.

Mokuba was asleep on the bed in the corner. The dim light caused shadows to dance across his face. He had long since given up trying to convince his brother to sleep and had fallen asleep himself waiting for Kaiba to finish with his work. The slight drumming of the keys didn't bother Mokuba; he had spent many nights like this.

One scan finished, and Kaiba closed the program. He massaged his temples briefly. The small digital clock in the corner of the screen read 3:46 AM. But he still wasn't done. There were still scans he needed to perform, as well as reports and evaluations to write, and statements to make to give to the press to gloss over everything that went wrong.

Kaiba leaned back to give his wrists a break. His thoughts almost instantly started wondering. Shayla had agreed to go out with him sometime soon. But now, he had no idea where he wanted to take her. The old stand-by, dinner and a movie, was out. There's no way she'd be able to enjoy a movie since she couldn't see it. For that matter, where could he take her that wasn't totally visually based? A park, a museum, the beach? Those were all out. He sighed. Kaiba really did want to get close to Shayla and spend time with her, but that somehow seemed easier that morning.

He bent back over the keyboard and started typing again, once more pushing aside all problems except work.

_/You know, you really should get some sleep/_ said a voice in the back of his head.

Kaiba bolt up, his fists slamming into the desk on either side of the keyboard. He resisted the urge to demand who else was there only so that he wouldn't wake up Mokuba.

_/Your brother really worries about you, you know/_ stated that voice. _/You really shouldn't push yourself so hard because it really does burden him./_

"Who's there!" he hissed under his breath. Kaiba looked over both shoulders, not lifting his fists from the desk. He saw no one. No shadows moved. It was silent. He was certain no one else was in the room with him and his brother. In fact, he was quite certain that he hadn't even heard someone else speaking. It was probably his subconscious demanding for sleep.

_/No, you're not imagining me/_ the voice answered his thoughts.

Kaiba now turned around, peering into the darkest shadows with his ice blue eyes. But nothing was out of place. His nerves were on edge. He wanted to find the source of the trouble, but he also didn't want to wake his little brother up.

_/Give up/ _he was asked.

"Where are you?" growled Kaiba.

_/Inside of you/_ answered the speaker. Kaiba could hear a faint chuckle in his tone, which only aggravated him more.

In an instant the entire room melted away. Kaiba now found himself surrounded by white and blue haze. There was absolutely nothing distinctive in it. It was just masses of whiteness all around him. He couldn't even make out the walls or flood. Kaiba shook his head again, and instantly came to the conclusion he had fallen asleep across the keyboard and that this was all a dream.

"Like I said before, you're not imagining this," the voice actually said. Kaiba could pin the location of the speaker now.

Kaiba whirled around, and came face to face with himself. At least, that's what it seemed like. The two of them were identical in every way, except what they were wearing. Kaiba still had on his Battle City coat with black underneath. Seto was wearing a royal blue tunic and cape with white leggings. He also wore a blue hat with golden trim, completely covering his brown hair.

"What is the meaning of this!" demanded Kaiba.

"We're now inside our minds," answered Seto. "There's no need to be alarmed. If anyone walks in, they'll merely see you in a trance." Kaiba clenched his fists and said nothing, continuing to glare at his alter-ego. "I already know all about you, and you have been learning about me. But I think its time we've been properly introduced. My name is Seto." He bowed slightly, almost mockingly.

"Hrmph, this is all clearly a dream, brought on by listening to Ishizu's fairy tales for too long," grumbled Kaiba, crossing his arms.

"You're not even convincing yourself, how do you expect to convince me?" asked Seto, proddingly. "You know what you saw when you dueled Ishizu. Those were my memories. A dead young girl in front of the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon tablet."

Kaiba gasped, taking a small step backward out of shock. He had told no one about what he had seen then. Then he re-stood his ground when a new conclusion came to him.

"Of course you'd know that," he answered, smirking like he was holding an Ace…or in his case a Blue-Eyes, White Dragon card. "This is all one big dream. It's all subconscious. So of course **my** subconscious would know what I saw then."

"I knew you wouldn't easily be convinced," said Seto, not at all fazed. "But regardless, I'm here and I'm going to stay. You're just going to have to deal with it."

"I'll wake up soon enough and you'll be gone," retorted Kaiba.

"I've been inside of you for a while now. You've been hearing my voice and seeing my memories since before you knew Ishizu. Deny it all you want, but you know in your heart this is real."

"Whatever," smirked Kaiba, confident in his conclusion.

"I see I'm going to have to prove it to you," sighed Seto.

The fog evaporated almost instantly, revealing the darkened room once more. It was the same. The clock on the computer now read 3:57AM. Mokuba stirred slightly in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open.

"Ugh…Seto?" he called, softly as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Kaiba was about to tell Mokuba to go back to sleep when he felt his body walking over to the bed on its own! He walked over to the bed and sat down in a spare chair by it.

"Are you okay, Mokuba?" Kaiba felt himself ask.

He tried to stop himself, trying with all his will to regain control, but with no luck. It was like he was watching his life from outside his own body. He could not do anything. And that fact alone actually started to freak him out—as much as Seto Kaiba could be freaked out.

"I'm fine…are you still awake Seto?" asked Mokuba, yawning.

_/What is going on/_ exclaimed Kaiba.

_/I've taken control of your body, that's what's going on/_ replied Seto. _/Don't worry, it's only temporary. Just long enough to prove to you that everything I have told you is real./_

_/You…/_ started Kaiba, but Seto wasn't even listening to him.

"Yeah, I am Mokuba," replied Seto, pretending to be Kaiba. He ruffled Mokuba's hair. "But don't worry, I'm done working, I'll be going to sleep soon."

_/Don't you dare touch my brother/ _shouted Kaiba, but Seto continued to ignore him.

"I hope so," said Mokuba with another yawn. "You work so hard…"

"Go back to sleep, I'll be fine," said Seto, pulling the covers over Mokuba as he laid back down.

"Good-night, big brother," said Mokuba, softly, as he drifted off again.

Seto watched over him another long moment. Kaiba stood, impatiently, in the background, glaring murderously. At length Seto turned back to face him. It was like the times when Yami and Yu-Gi talked, where one was spectral. In this case, it was Kaiba who was transparent.

_/Get lost! This is my life/ _snapped Kaiba.

_/It's a life we're now sharing/_ replied Seto. He glanced briefly back to Mokuba. _/Do not worry about your brother's safety. I would not harm him. I never knew my family, yet this boy is now part of my own. He's my brother as well now./_

_/Absolutely not/_ shouted Kaiba. _/Get out of my head/_

Seto continued like he had said nothing. He smirked at Kaiba, knowing he was deliberately provoking him. _/Shaylana's mine as well./_

_/You stay away from her/_ growled Kaiba. Jealous, for one of the first time ever, dared to enter Kaiba's heart.

_/Don't worry; **Shayla** is yours. But Shaylana, the spirit of the Millennial Scales, is mine/_ replied Seto. _/You haven't forgotten when Shaylana yelled at you earlier today. She is within Shayla, like I am in you./_

_/Get out/_

_/I simply cannot do that. There is much I still have to do, the first is figuring out what happened during that Shadow Game I sensed./_

_/I'm not asking, I'm telling you, get out/ _shouted Kaiba.

_/No/_ answered Seto, cockily.

With that, he let Kaiba have control of his body again, slipping back into his subconscious. Kaiba staggered a step, clutching his head. He was breathing hard and his fists were clenched so tight his fingers hurt. He searched his mind for any logical explanation, but he could not explain this away.


End file.
